Accepting Life
by animallvr682
Summary: Inuyasha has hated Sesshomaru for most of his life. So what happens when one day he finds him beaten and broken? InuXSess Lots of Lemons. Incest, rape, abuse, mpreg. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

I DO NOT OWN INUYASH!

Yes...I know. Another Inu/Sess. I SHIP THEM SO HARD! This is the 6th one I've written! And yes, it's only the 5th one I've posted. I have another that I'm writing and dont know if I'm gonna port of not. I might. I wrote what I have of it so far over a 2 day period when I hadnt slept the entire time so its a little weird. But this one Ive worked hard on. And I decided not to post it until it was finished. It's 30 chapters. I'll spread out the postings to keep you in suspense! Maybe...I might get a bug up my butt one day and just post all the rest of it at once. But here is the first chapter. This one is kind of dark...sort of...yes...ENJOY!

Chapter One

"I'm bored." Inuyasha rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling of Kaede's hut.

"That's the third time you've said that. If you're so bored, go do something. I'm sure there are plenty of people in the village that could use your help with something." Sango looked up from her sewing only briefly.

"I did that yesterday. I mended four roofs, helped a farmer finish building a wall, and cut down three trees and turned them into firewood."

"There is always something needing to be done, Inuyasha. Go find something to do. You're annoying me." Sango set aside the socks she had just finished mending and picked up another.

Inuyasha grumbled and left the hut. He needed to find something to do. He wandered toward the forest. Maybe he would walk around and make sure there weren't any demons around that could threaten the village.

After killing four minor demons, Inuyasha was washing demon blood off of his arms in a river when he heard the unmistakable sounds of a fight. And it sounded like a big one. He moved towards the noise and stopped in the shadows of a tree further up the riverbank. Trees had been toppled in a wide swatch around a section of the river and in the center of the chaos was Sesshomaru. His face was bloody and his arm was wrapped around himself, cradling his ribs. He looked like someone had been using him as a punching bag.

A deep rumbling growl sounded a moment before a very large demon burst up from under a fall of trees before Sesshomaru. The demon's fist lashed out and Sesshomaru went flying backwards to hit a large boulder further up the riverbank. He slumped to the ground, coughing blood. The large demon stalked after him, strangely light on his feet for something so big. It bent and lifted Sesshomaru up with a hand twisted in his clothing. He slammed Sesshomaru back against the rock. Inuyasha could hear the sound of his skull cracking from where he stood. Sesshomaru's eyes fluttered as he struggled to stay conscious.

Inuyasha was turning to leave, he couldn't care less if the demon killed his half-brother, when he caught a strange scent. He turned back in time to see the big demon spin Sesshomaru around and tear his clothes off. Inuyasha raised a curious eyebrow and took a deep breath. An incredibly enticing scent filled his nose and his cock swelled to full stiffness instantly. He moved towards the scent as the large demon tore his own clothes open. He held Sesshomaru against the rock with one huge hand and used the other to take his massive erection in his hand. With one swift movement, he thrust himself into Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru screamed, his claws digging weakly into the rock, as blood ran down his thighs.

Inuyasha suddenly realized what was happening. That scent, it was coming from Sesshomaru. Sesshomaru was an uke demon. And he was in heat. Before he had fully comprehended the situation, his sword was arching through the air. The large demon didn't even realize what had happened to it. It fell to the ground, dead. Sesshomaru slumped down after it, whimpering as the dead demon's cock left his body. He lifted his eyes and saw a flash of red before darkness swept him under.

Inuyasha watched Sesshomaru fall forward onto his face. He was covered in blood. His face was partly smashed in on once side, both of his eyes were swollen and turning black, his bottom lip was ripped down the middle. And that was just his face. He had deep claw marks down his back, and it looked like his left hip was dislocated. He was a mess.

Inuyasha smirked. This demon had tormented him his entire life. And now he was laying broken and bleeding at his feet. Leaving Sesshomaru where he was, he dragged the dead demon into the forest and left him for the scavengers to find. He gathered some wood, made a small fire, and cooked himself a few fish. He didn't know how long he would need to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Agony. He was in complete and total agony. He had never been in such overwhelming pain before. His entire body hurt. He tried to open his eyes and his face protested the slight movement. He was scared to move. But he had to assess his injuries. He forced an eye open, feeling like his eye lids were tearing when the dried blood sealing it shut ripped away.

A high pitched sound was making his ears hurt. He tried to move his arm and pain exploded through him. And he realized that that noise was coming from him.

"Are you awake?"

He jumped slightly as the voice, making a flash of pain stab through his left hip. He turned his eye as far as he could but could only see a hazy blur of red. He tried to take a breath to get a scent but his nose was completely blocked.

"You're beat up pretty badly, oh brother of mine."

Sesshomaru swallowed painfully. Inuyasha. The tone of the boy's voice sent a chill down his spine. "Go away." His voice was rough and strained. It hurt to breathe and hurt worse to talk. He knew he had multiple broken ribs.

"I don't think I will."

Sesshomaru watched the red blur rise and stalk around him. It made him nervous, but there wasn't much he could do about it. He closed his eyes and focused on his injuries. Broken ribs on both sides, dislocated left hip, broken bones in his right foot, broken bones in his face. He was fairly sure the back of his skull was fractured. And his ass felt like it had been ripped open. Which it had. He searched that part of himself that made him an uke. He was still unmated. "Did you stop that demon from mating me?"

"Not on purpose. I was enjoying watching him beat you and then he shoved his cock in you and I don't know what happened. Next thing my sword was bloody and his head was in the river."

Another shiver went through him. "You caught my scent."

"Yes." Inuyasha bent and licked Sesshomaru's bloody cheek. "You smell incredible."

"Of course I do. My uke is seeking a mate. It happens every 10 years or so."

"So, why are you still unmated?"

"Because until that demon you just killed, no one has been able to beat me into submission."

"So you aren't someone's bitch yet because you're too strong?" Inuyasha chuckled darkly and ran a hand over Sesshomaru's bare ass. "Not so strong now, are you?"

"If you are considering raping me, just get it over with." He cried out and whimpered in pain when Inuyasha yanked his hips up. He felt Inuyasha's erection rub against his torn hole and swallowed his revulsion.

"I'm not just going to rape you, dear brother." Inuyasha bent and pressed his lips to Sesshomaru's ear. "I'm going to make you my bitch."

Sesshomaru fought down a wave of nausea. "I'm no one's bitch."

Inuyasha thrust into Sesshomaru. The scream the demon let out caused a wave of pure pleasure to shiver down his spine. "I've heard about uke demons." He thrust hard and fast. Sesshomaru screamed every time he tightened his grip on his dislocated hip. "They are completely submissive to their mates." He lifted Sesshomaru leg and felt the dislocated hip pop back into place. Sesshomaru shrieked and his claws raked furrows in the rock under him. "You've tortured me my while life." He grabbed Sesshomaru's arm and pulled it behind his back. "It's your turn, bitch." He twisted Sesshomaru's arm and felt the bone snap above the elbow. As Sesshomaru screamed again, Inuyasha filled his bowels with his seed.

As his orgasm pulsed through him, he felt his demon roar up inside him. He wrapped a hand in Sesshomaru hair and yanked him upright. He blinked and his teeth were in Sesshomaru neck. He growled in pleasure as he felt the energy of his demon thrust into Sesshomaru and pin down the man's uke as he continued to pump him full of his seed. Sesshomaru let out a sound of defeat and went limp in Inuyasha's arms.

Inuyasha felt an odd sensation fill him as his demon energy returned to him. He could feel that his demon brought a piece of Sesshomaru's uke with it back into him. The mating was complete. He could feel that Sesshomaru was injured. He could also feel that he was completely terrified.

Filled with a sense of satisfaction, Inuyasha stood and pushed Sesshomaru onto his side. "You're my bitch now. And you will never hurt me again."

Sesshomaru grunted in pain as Inuyasha's foot connected with his ribs and he felt more of them break. He couldn't protect himself from the beating Inuyasha proceeded to give him. Thankfully, the darkness soon swept him under again and he felt no more.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sesshomaru woke slowly. He didn't know how long he had been out. But judging by the current level of pain he was in, he had been healing for a while. Perhaps two or three days. He took a deep breath, scenting the air. He was alone. He was mildly surprised. He would have expected Inuyasha to stay and torture him longer.

He rolled over with a bit of difficulty and stared at the sky peeking through the tree branches. His ribs were healed. The damage in his hip from it having been dislocated was healed. His back hurt a bit, his head hurt some. But it was his arm that worried him. Inuyasha had broken it badly and it seemed to have healed in the wrong position. It hurt quite a lot. He sat up slowly, his back protesting the movement. He hissed a sharp breath when he looked down at his arm. The lower half was twisted almost completely around. No wonder it hurt so much. He closed his eyes and considered his situation.

Inuyasha had mated him. There was no question about that. He could feel a piece of Inuyasha's demon inside of him. It was angry and sat heavily in his belly, making him want to cower and submit. But Inuyasha wasn't near him. He could feel that Inuyasha was some distance away. He would have thought that that knowledge would relax him some, but it made him nervous.

Sesshomaru struggled to his feet. He would need help to fix his arm. He needed to go home to the castle and have one of his servants re-break and set the bone. But his energy was low. He wouldn't be able to summon a cloud to carry him. He would need to walk.

Inuyasha felt Sesshomaru wake. He felt a moment of confusion followed by pain. A moment of quietness, then a shiver of fear and nervousness. Inuyasha stared into the fire he was currently cooking fish over and felt a smirk lift the corners of his mouth.

"What's going on with you? You've been acting weird since you came back from your trip into the forest."

Inuyasha glanced up at the monk sitting across from him. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

Miroku lifted one of the fish from the fire and checked to see it if was done. "You keep smirking. I have to admit, it is not a comfortable look, Inuyasha."

"I said don't worry about it. It's none of your business."

The monk passed a fish to his friend. "Alright. You will talk to me if you need to talk, won't you?"

"I don't need to talk. This has nothing to do with anyone else. It's personal. Please drop it, Miroku." Inuyasha ate his fish in silence. The women were bathing in a nearby hot spring while he and Miroku cooked the fish he had caught earlier. He felt another shudder of fear from Sesshomaru. He was careful not to let his feelings show on his face again. But he was greatly enjoying feeling that his cold, emotionless, asshole of a brother was scared.

"That smells wonderful. I'm starving." Kagome sat beside Inuyasha, using a towel to dry her hair. He accepted a fish from Miroku and at it carefully. "Which way are we heading today?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "You're the one that can feel the shards. You tell me."

"I can't sense anything nearby."

"I think we should go west."

Miroku frowned at the other man. "West takes us toward the center of Sesshomaru's lands, toward the castle. Are you sure you want to go that way? Not many demons venture that way."

"We don't know how many demons might have found shards and thought to challenge the Lord. Sesshomaru may have shards hidden in the castle."

"And how to you propose we get them if he does? We can't defeat Sesshomaru at his own castle. It's full of powerful demon guards."

"I'll think of something. Even if he doesn't have any, we can continue west to the coast and then go north. We haven't been through that area yet."

"How long will this trip take? I have exams coming up."

Inuyasha turned to give Kagome an annoyed look. "Finding the shards is more important than your stupid exams, Kagome."

Kagome glared at the hanyo. "Sit."

Inuyasha growled as he stood up, his nose full of dirt. "I'm sick and fucking tired of your shit, Kagome. I'm not your god's dammed pet. Do that to me one more fucking time and I will rip your fucking head off." Inuyasha took off into the trees before he could get a response.

Inuyasha's friends all stared wide eyed and open mouthed at Inuyasha's retreating back. "What the hell was that?"

Miroku turned to look at Kagome, his brow furrowed with worry. "You had no cause to do that to him, Kagome. He's right. You need to stop using that seal just because Inuyasha says something you don't like. It's cruel." The girl stared at him angrily. "But there's something going on with him. Something happened when he went into the forest while you were gone. Something's changed. I don't know what it is, he won't talk to me. But I think it's something big."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Sesshomaru clenched his teeth while the castle healer examined his arm. "How did this happen, My Lord?"

"Just fix it. How is none of your concern."

"I ask because knowing how the break was made will help me when I need to re-break it. Was your arm twisted? Was it hit or stepped on?"

"It was twisted."

The healer nodded thoughtfully. His master's arm was a mess. It had been twisted almost completely around at the break and healed in that position. The flesh around the break site was swollen and purple with bruises. His hair was matted and filthy with dirt and leaves. His clothing was torn and stained with blood. He looked exhausted and defeated.

"My Lord, I know it is not my place to ask, but as your healer, I must." When he didn't get a response, he continued. "Have you been mated?"

Sesshomaru looked over at the man. "Tell no one."

"Of course, my Lord." He went back to examining the break. "I ask, my Lord, because if you have been mated, it is possible that you may be pregnant."

Sesshomaru stiffened and terror filled him. "How soon will I know?"

"How long ago did the mating happen?"

"I'm not sure. Five or six days, I believe. Maybe a week."

"If you have conceived, I will be able to feel it upon examination in about a week." He put a hand on his master's back when he felt him tremble. "Am I correct that the mating was a violent one?"

"Fix my arm."

The healer nodded. "Yes, my Lord." He took a firm grip of the demon's arm above and below the break. "This will hurt."

"Just do it." Sesshomaru grunted in pain as the healer twisted his arm and the bone snapped. He screamed when the man twisted his arm into the correct position.

"I just need to bind your arm now, my Lord. I'm afraid you won't be able to use it for several days."

"I am aware of that." Sesshomaru hissed as his arm was strapped tight against his body.

"You should rest, my Lord."

"I will." Sesshomaru stood and swayed on his feet. He might have fallen if the healer hadn't steadied him.

"Let me help you to your bed, my Lord." He guided the unresisting demon down the hall and into his bedroom. He eased the man down onto the bed and pulled a blanket over him. "Sleep, my Lord. Send for me when you wake and I will come with food and help you eat."

Sesshomaru made a noise of confirmation and rolled onto his side. Exhausted, he was quickly asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Inuyasha frowned as an unpleasant sensation filled him. Sesshomaru was terrified. Completely and utterly terrified. His demon was raging that his mate was in danger. But Inuyasha wasn't so sure. Sesshomaru had been feeling relief and mild comfort and Inuyasha had known somehow that he was home in his castle. Then he had been terrified. Then pain as his arm was broken. Then the fear again. Now he was asleep. But the terror still hummed through him. Inuyasha's demon was pissed off and wanted to go check on his mate. It was making Inuyasha increasingly uncomfortable. He could feel his demon half threatening to come out and hurt something.

"I'm going ahead. Wait for me in the village near the castle." Inuyasha took off before the others could respond.

Sesshomaru snapped awake. Fear caused him to tremble. Inuyasha was nearby. And he was angry. So angry. Fear left him frozen. He heard his window open. Heavy footsteps stomping across the room. The bed shifted and he could feel Inuyasha's anger pressing down on him. That piece of Inuyasha's demon that lived in him lashed out, causing a sharp pain to lance through his middle. He cowered, trembling, doing his best to appear small and unthreatening. Inuyasha's claws smelled of fresh blood. He had killed at least one guard on his way to find his mate.

"What's wrong with you?" Inuyasha's voice growled in his ear. When Sesshomaru didn't respond, Inuyasha growled loudly and snapped his teeth in front of his ear. "Why did you get scared after you got back to the castle?"

Sesshomaru stopped breathing. He had forgotten that his mate would be able to feel his emotions as well as his physical state.

"Answer me." Inuyasha's growl grew deeper and his demon lashed out again.

Sesshomaru swallowed. He couldn't disobey. "My healer told me that I may have conceived a child."

Inuyasha reared up. "You what?" Sesshomaru didn't answer. Inuyasha crawled off of his mate and started to pace the room. He didn't know this could happen. He didn't want children. He had sworn that he would never condemn a child to the half-life he had lived, part of two different worlds but not welcome in either. "You're not having a child."

Sesshomaru hadn't moved. He didn't want to anger his mate again. "I may not have conceived."

"You better not have. I don't want children. I especially don't want children with you."

"I didn't do it on purpose." Sesshomaru hated that his voice was so small. But he couldn't help it. Inuyasha was his mate and he terrified him. He could do nothing at all to defend himself against his mate. If Inuyasha wanted to beat him, he couldn't stop him. If Inuyasha wanted to torture him, he couldn't stop him. If Inuyasha wanted to rape him, starve him, tie him up and leave him for a month, Sesshomaru could do nothing. He could do nothing but submit.

"How long until you know?" Inuyasha kept pacing. He was nervous, and angry, and confused. How could this have happened?

"A week." He flinched when Inuyasha stopped moving.

"That soon?"

"Demon pregnancies last two months."

"You're not having a baby." Anger rose up in Inuyasha again.

"I'm sorry." Sesshomaru gasped when the blankets were pulled from him. A hand wrapped around his ankle and pulled him to the foot of the bed. He trembled as he was roughly flipped over onto his stomach and what little clothes he was still wearing were torn off.

Inuyasha pulled himself from his pants and thrust himself into Sesshomaru. The demon whimpered in pain and he started a brutal rhythm, fucking him hard and fast. He didn't last long, he just needed to let his demon work off some of its anger. When he finished, he pulled out and started pacing again. The sight of Sesshomaru laying passive with his seed dripping from him made his demon growl in satisfaction.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes. Inuyasha's anger had calmed some, but it was still boiling. The rape had had an unexpected side effect. It had been painful when Inuyasha had first entered him. But it had quickly turned to pleasure. And it had aroused him. He shifted slightly, easing the pressure on his aching member. What was happening to his body?

Inuyasha stopped pacing. He could feel Sesshomaru's arousal. He growled in anger and crawled over the demon again. He pressed his lips to his mate's ear. "Did you enjoy that? Do you like it when my cock is in your ass?" He pressed himself in again and Sesshomaru moaned softly. "You filthy whore." He moved slowly, finding the soft moans of pleasure he drew from the demon oddly satisfying. "Say it. Tell me you like having my cock in my ass."

Sesshomaru moaned loudly as Inuyasha withdrew and thrust back in sharply. "You're my mate. Sex with you will feel good."

Inuyasha growled. "Say it."

"I like having your cock in my ass." He cried out as Inuyasha started to fuck him hard.

The door opened behind him and Inuyasha turned with a growl, his cock leaving his mate. His eyes went red when three guards spilled into the room, weapons raised. "Out!" Inuyasha drew his sword. "Get the fuck out!"

The guards stared at the hanyo. Their master was lying face down on the bed, his legs spread and ass in the air, his hole stretched open and dripping. "Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru turned his head enough to speak. "Leave us."

The guards bowed and left. They didn't know what was going on, but they wouldn't disobey.

Sesshomaru cried out again as Inuyasha thrust back into him. The cry was cut off when his head was pulled back by the hair and Inuyasha's sword was pressed to his throat. "You will inform your household and your guards that I will come and go from this castle as I please."

Sesshomaru swallowed, feeling a line of blood run down his neck. "Yes." The sword was removed and Inuyasha started to move again, still holding his hair in a tight grip. He couldn't stop the moans. The thought that his hanyo half-brother was his mate made him feel physically ill. But the way he felt inside of him was like nothing he had ever felt. Sex had never been this good. Not only was Inuyasha very large, but each thrust caused pleasure to shiver up his spine. He knew it was because of the mating bond. But he didn't care at that moment. A heavy weight was filling his groin. Inuyasha thrust in hard and he felt heat fill him. The weight in his groin burst and he cried out as a powerful orgasm rushed through him.

Inuyasha sneered when the scent of Sesshomaru's release touched his nose. He quickly pulled out of him. He used the demons hair to pull him up onto his knees and growled in his face. "Filthy whore. You came just from my cock in your ass. You disgust me." He tossed Sesshomaru aside like a rag doll.

Arm still bound to his body, Sesshomaru couldn't stop himself from tumbling off the bed. He curled into a ball, pressing his forehead to his knees. Shame filled him. He hated that Inuyasha had been able to cause such pleasure in him. He had never came like that before. What was happening to his body?


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Inuyasha was pacing again. His cock was still hard and it was pissing him off. He had fucked Sesshomaru six times already and it wasn't enough. His demon was still angry and he didn't know what to do. Right now, he could sense a bone deep exhaustion from Sesshomaru. And that pissed him off all the more. How dare Sesshomaru be so weak and tired when he was so angry and restless?

He turned with a growl when there was a gentle knock on the door. Inuyasha went to the door and threw it open. "What?"

A small demon that smelled of herbs stood with a tray holding a large bowl of stew. "I apologize for interrupting, my Lord." The demon bowed. "I have brought some food for Lord Sesshomaru."

"Fuck off." Inuyasha slammed the door. He turned to start pacing again when his demon lashed out. He growled in annoyance and threw the door open again. The demon hadn't moved. "Where's the hot spring?"

"Just down the hall, my Lord. One of the guards can show you."

"Fine. Feed him." Inuyasha left the room and told a guard to show him to the hot spring.

Sesshomaru turned his head to look at the healer. "Why are you here?"

"You have yet to eat, my Lord. Your energy was low when I saw you. Your recent activities will have drained more of your strength. You need to eat." The demon gently rolled his master over and pulled a blanket over him before propping him up with pillows. He sat beside him and started to spoon feed him the stew. He had been sure that the cook had made something that was thick with meat. "So Lord Inuyasha is the one that mated you?"

"Obviously." Sesshomaru's stomach protested the intrusion of the food. But he could already feel his exhaustion lift slightly.

"He is very angry."

"I don't know what to do."

"All you can do is submit. From the sounds of pleasure issuing from this room, it seems you have been submitting as you should."

"Is that why it feels so good? Because I'm submitting?"

"Yes, my Lord. As long as you submit, you will find pleasure. Unless your mate wishes for you to be in pain."

Sesshomaru shuddered. "I don't know why he doesn't. I couldn't fight him if I wanted to. I don't even have the will to try."

The demon fed his master a little more. "That is a good thing. You may not be happy with the mating, but your body knows what it needs to do. Be grateful that you have no will to fight. If you try fighting your mate, you will regret it. Dominant males will beat their mates until they submit. Inuyasha is strong, my Lord. He will make a good mate, a powerful mate. But he will also be able to hurt you badly if you try to fight."

"I don't want to fight him. But I don't know what I did wrong."

"I can sense him fighting with himself."

"I don't know what's happening. I told him I may have conceived and it only made his anger worse. He doesn't want children."

"I see." The demon finished feeding his master. "Would you like me to talk to him? Maybe I could figure out what is happening."

Sesshomaru swallowed hard. His stomach rolled. "No."

"Alright. Would you like more food?" Sesshomaru shook his head. "I'm going to check your arm." He gently felt the bone. He hadn't healed much. The break could still be shifted slightly. "This won't heal as long as your body is being used. You need to lie still for the bone to set."

"I'm fine. You should probably leave. He's coming back." As soon as the words passed his lips, the door opened again. Inuyasha was drying his hair as best he could with a towel. Sesshomaru felt a small bit of relief to see that Inuyasha's body had calmed, at least.

"Go away."

The small demon bowed and lifted the tray with the empty bowl. "Would you like me to bring up some food for you, my Lord?"

"No. Go away." The door closed behind the demon and Inuyasha turned to the bed. He pulled the blanket off his mate, not liking that he had been covered again. "What's going on with your arm? Why do you hurt?"

"The bone had to be re-broken. It hasn't healed yet." Inuyasha pulled him down by his ankle again until he was on his back in the center of the bed.

Inuyasha frowned. His demon was lashing out again, snapping at him, seriously pissed off about his mate being in such a state. Inuyasha shook it off. "You need a bath."

Sesshomaru just watched Inuyasha. He could feel that his demon was raging again, but that piece that was inside of him had grown warm and he could feel a soft energy coming from it, like it was trying to feed him, to heal him.

Inuyasha pulled Sesshomaru to his feet. "Come on." He led his mate down the hall to the hot spring. The small demon that had fed Sesshomaru was in there, hanging a selection of robes on wall pegs. Inuyasha pushed Sesshomaru into the room. "Wash him."

The demon bowed. He stripped himself to his fundoshi and helped Sesshomaru into the water. Once he had his master settled, he wet his hair and used a comb to smooth the strands and get rid of the leaves and sticks that still clung to the knots.

Inuyasha pulled on one of the robes. "I'll be back." He left and asked a guard to take him to the kitchen.

"I don't understand what's going on." Sesshomaru closed his eyes and just let himself enjoy the small comfort of the heat soaking into him and the gentle hands in his hair.

"Your mate is taking care of you."

"Why? He hates me."

"Perhaps. But to his demon half, you are his mate and it is his job to care for you. I believe he may be trying to fight against his instincts. He has a great dislike for you, but you are submitting to him. So his demon instincts are telling him that he needs to reward you for behaving."

"I just want him to leave."

"He will eventually. His human half won't allow him to stay here when he hates you so."

"I don't even know why he came here in the first place. He came into my room and asked what was wrong with me."

The demon gave his master a sad smile. "You became very frightened when I told you that you may have conceived. He was likely responding to his demons response to feeling your fear."

"I just want him to go away." Sesshomaru closed his eyes. The heat was making him sleepy. He stiffened when the door opened again.

"Leave."

Sesshomaru felt the water shift. Hands gathered his hair and he caught the scent of his soap.

"Your hair is filthy."

Sesshomaru didn't respond.

"You feel stronger." Inuyasha worked the soap out of Sesshomaru's hair.

Sesshomaru felt hands slide around him. He was lifted up and sat on the edge of the pool. Soapy hands explored his body. He watched silently as Inuyasha bathed him. He was surprisingly gentle. But his stomach was knotted with fear. Inuyasha was still so angry. All he could do was remain passive and allow Inuyasha to move him as he would.

"Are you still hungry?" Sesshomaru shook his head slightly. "Answer me when I ask you a question, damn it."

"No. I'm not hungry."

"You're tired." Inuyasha spread Sesshomaru's legs. "But I love that you're so afraid of me." He laid Sesshomaru back and eased into him.

Sesshomaru moaned and closed his eyes. He couldn't help the fear. Inuyasha hated him. He was just waiting for the moment that Inuyasha would shove his demon instincts aside and take his anger out with his fists and claws. But he also couldn't help the pleasure that sang through his body as Inuyasha shoved his knees to his chest and pounded into him. He quickly grew hard and the sensation of his member rubbing against his stomach through a layer of soap was odd, but nice.

Inuyasha watched Sesshomaru harden. It was the first time he had seen him hard. He had been fucking him face down until then. He was a lot smaller then he had expected the powerful demon to be. He was only as long as Inuyasha's middle finger. It must have been an uke thing. But it was oddly satisfying to know that he was huge compared to his mate. He moved faster and Sesshomaru moaned louder. His cock started to drip on his belly. Inuyasha watched it, fascinated for some reason.

Sesshomaru's toes curled. Inuyasha was hitting that spot inside that made starbursts of pleasure explode through his groin. Inuyasha hit it again and he cried out as an orgasm tore through him unexpectedly.

Inuyasha watched Sesshomaru spurt onto his belly. It pushed him over the edge and he filled his mate for the seventh time that day. He slipped out and onto his knees, still holding Sesshomaru's legs up. The position meant that Inuyasha's face was now even with Sesshomaru's groin, his hole stretched wide and dripping seed into the water under him.

Sesshomaru jumped slightly when Inuyasha growled and bit the inside of his thigh. He felt fangs cut into him and blood run down his skin. He swallowed hard and trembled. He jumped again when fingers touched him inside. Inuyasha's fingers moved inside of him slowly before they moved up to touch his balls. Sesshomaru held his breath, afraid of what his mate was about to do. The slick fingers moved to touch his penis, rolling the soft flesh between them. A soft whine of fear left him and he quickly stifled it.

Inuyasha chuckled softly around the flesh in his mouth. Sesshomaru fear had spiked. He stood up and drove himself into the demon again. Sesshomaru cried out and his thighs tightened around him. Inuyasha put his hand around Sesshomaru's neck while he fucked him. The demon's face slowly turned red, then purple. Sesshomaru struggled weakly under him. His eyes fluttered. Inuyasha came with a growl of satisfaction when Sesshomaru's eyes rolled back and he went limp.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Sesshomaru coughed violently. He took deep, rasping breaths. He tried to throw his hands up and cried out in pain as the movement yanked his arm out of position. He felt what little of the bone that had healed break again. A firm hand pressed to his shoulder and pinned him down.

"Calm down."

Inuyasha's voice. He settled, his heart racing. He was whimpering with every breath he took. His body was shuddering with fear. As his body calmed slightly, he remember what had happened. Inuyasha had been choking him. He must have passed out. His fear climbed again.

"I said calm down." Inuyasha pulled out of his mate and pulled him down into the water to sit on his lap. He wrapped his arms around the demon and waited. He was still full of fear, shaking and whimpering, but he was calming some.

"I'm sorry." Sesshomaru turned as best he could and put his head on Inuyasha's shoulder, pressing his face against his mate's neck. "I'm sorry."

"Shut up. Just calm down." Inuyasha wrapped a hand around Sesshomaru's arm. It moved freely at the break. Sesshomaru whimpered in pain. "What's the name of that servant? The little one?"

Sesshomaru swallowed. It took him three tries until he could talk. "Riko."

Inuyasha set Sesshomaru down. "Stay there." He went to the door and pulled it open, not surprised to find three guards outside. They were different than the ones that had been outside the door previously. One of them blushed furiously at the sight of him, his cock mostly deflated now but still impressive, and looked at the ground. "Bring me Riko." He slammed the door shut and went back to his mate. He pulled his trembling body back into his lap and spent the waiting time washing the soap from his skin.

There was a knock on the door before it opened. The small demon bowed as he entered and closed the door again. "You asked for me, my Lord?"

"Fix his arm."

The demon bowed, stripped, and got into the water again. He felt his master's arm, making him whimper softly. "The bone has shifted. I will need to rebind the arm."

"So do it."

The demon bowed. He got out of the spring and went across the hall to gather some fresh bandages. Back in the water, he turned Sesshomaru so he was facing him. He noticed dark bruises blooming on the pale skin of his master's neck. He kept his eyes down so the angry hanyo wouldn't notice him looking at them. He slowly unwound the bandages holding Sesshomaru's arm. "If I may, my Lord, would you perhaps hold the arm steady so I can get it bound tightly?"

Inuyasha held Sesshomaru's arm where he was directed.

Riko quickly bound the arm again. He was able to get a better binding this time since he had some help stabilizing the arm. "I'm finished, my Lord."

"Good. Go get him some food. Bring it to the bedroom."

"Yes, my Lord." The demon bowed, gathered his clothing, and left again.

Inuyasha stood, Sesshomaru in his arms, and got out of the water. He set the demon on a bench and used a towel on his hair. He frowned as he pulled the towel away to find the hair all tangled. Frustrated, he tossed the towel aside and picked his mate up again. The guards followed him down the hall to the bedroom and he slammed the door in their faces. After setting Sesshomaru on the bed, he started pacing again.

A gentle knock heralded Riko's return. He approached Sesshomaru when given permission and sat to feed him. He had brought a plate of raw venison liver and another of roasted duck. Sesshomaru ate slowly. He was having a bit of trouble swallowing. But Inuyasha had said for him to eat. So he would eat.

Inuyasha stopped pacing with a growl of frustration. "Feed him. Then brush his damned hair." Inuyasha moved to loom over his mate. "You. Eat. All of it. Then sleep. I'm leaving." He spun on his heel and disappeared back out the window.

Sesshomaru felt the knot in his middle relax a bit.

"Should I make smaller cuts, my Lord? Your neck looks painful."

"I'm fine." In truth, swallowing was excruciating. But Inuyasha had given him permission to sleep and he wanted to do that as quickly as possible. He was more exhausted then he could ever remember being in his life. His body was heavy, his mind was fuzzy. His stomach hurt from being knotted in fear. His ass was sore. He just wanted to sleep.

"Would you like some ice to put on your neck? The bruises are getting very dark."

"I'm fine. I just want to sleep, Riko."

"I understand, my Lord." He finished feeding his master the duck and started with the liver. "This will be easier to swallow." He sliced the soft meat into pieces a little larger and fed the bloody bites quicker than he had the duck. "Is there anything you need, my Lord?"

"Just sleep. I just want to sleep."

Riko set the empty plate aside and helped his master to lie down. He covered him with a thick blanket. "Are you comfortable?"

"Just go." Sesshomaru was asleep before the door closed behind the healer.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The moon was high when Inuyasha walked down the village road, looking for his friends. He hadn't realized how long he had stayed with Sesshomaru until he had left the castle. It was near dawn when he finally found them in a small inn on the far side of the village.

"Where have you been?"

Inuyasha wasn't surprised to find Miroku awake. "Mind your own business." Inuyasha sat against the wall, set his sword across his lap, and looked at the monk. "How much are you paying for this room? We never stay in inns."

"The innkeeper was kind enough to lend us the room for the night. I traded her a few rabbit furs. The women were worried. You were gone for a long time. They wanted to go up to the castle and make sure Sesshomaru hadn't killed you."

Inuyasha smirked. "Sesshomaru won't kill me. And stop pressing for information. I'm not telling you where I was. Just drop it. Mind your own damn business." Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He could feel that Sesshomaru was sleeping already. His fear eased and his sleep grew deeper. His neck and arm were both hurting him. But Inuyasha could feel that they were beginning to heal with the energy he had received from the food.

Miroku watched his friend. Something was seriously wrong with him. The scent of expensive soap had followed him into the room. Where had he been that he had bathed with such a thing? Had he been in the castle? If so, what the hell had he been doing there? Why had Sesshomaru allowed it?

Inuyasha woke to the scent of food and someone shaking him. He growled in annoyance. "What? Let me sleep, damn it."

"Breakfast." Kagome moved away and sat to eat.

"I said let me sleep."

"Let him sleep, Kagome. He didn't come back until a few hours ago." Miroku passed out bowls of rice.

"Where did you disappear to, Inuyasha? We were worried." Kagome ate a bite of her fish.

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Why can't you people ever leave me the fuck alone!?"

Sango put a hand over Kagome's mouth as she saw anger flash over her face. "Leave him."

Inuyasha left in huff. Kagome pulled Sango's hand away. "Why did you do that? Where is he going now?" She tried to stand to follow him and Sango kept her sitting. "Let me go."

"Kagome, something is going on with Inuyasha. If he wants to be alone, let him be alone." Miroku stood and stretched. "That being said, I'm going to follow him. You three stay here." Miroku left, moving quickly to catch up with his friend. He followed Inuyasha at a distance. He follow the red clad hanyo to the castle. Miroku stood, shocked, as the guards let him pass without question. He watched Inuyasha walk through the front doors of the castle and disappear. Stunned, he made his way back to his friends. Should he tell them what he just saw? Somehow, he didn't think so. Kagome would likely throw a fit and demand that they follow him and rescue him, sure that Sesshomaru was going to hurt him.

"So? Where did he go?"

The women were almost finished with their breakfast. He sat and picked up his food, eating a few bites before answering. "He went into the woods and I lost him. He'll come back when he's ready."

"And what are we supposed to do in the meantime?" Kagome was understandably annoyed.

"We should ask the villagers if they have heard any rumors of powerful demons in the area. Messengers no doubt stop here in the village for rest or food after delivering messages to the castle." Miroku couldn't tell the others what he saw. He would ask Inuyasha about it. But he doubted the hanyo would tell him anything. He was defensive and secretive about whatever was happening with him. Miroku just didn't know if it was something that would be good for him or not.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Sesshomaru woke to find himself surrounded by Inuyasha's scent. He turned his head to find his mate beside him. Inuyasha was lying on his front, his arms under a pillow, his face turned away. He was asleep. Sesshomaru couldn't feel any anger coming from him at that time. While he was nervous with Inuyasha so close, he was able to relax without the anger filling him with fear.

He took inventory of his injuries. His neck felt healed but his arm was still in the process of healing. He felt a warmth move through his belly and tensed. The warmth sent a calming feeling. It was Inuyasha's demon. He turned to look at his mate. He couldn't see it, but he could feel Inuyasha's demon energy stretching out to touch him. It was an odd sensation, but not unpleasant.

The energy slid over his skin, leaving a soft tingling behind. It stopped at his arm and he felt it move deeper into him and spread a warmth. The energy was trying to help him heal. Another tendril of the energy moved down his body and paused at his belly. It teased the knot of anxiety that sat in him until it loosened. Then the energy moved on.

Sesshomaru let out a breathy moan. The energy slid over his groin and teased his opening. He spread his legs in response. The tendril thickened and pushed against him. He felt himself open as the energy slid inside of him. It felt strange. He could feel the energy moving in and out of him, stretching him open. But he couldn't see it. Another tendril wrapped around his penis. He watched as it lifted away from his body and the skin moved as the tendril stroked him. He moaned again and closed his eyes. It felt wonderful. It was so gentle, moving slowly. The tendril moved deeper into him. He felt it bulge deep in him and it pulled back slowly until the bulge hit that spot.

Sesshomaru clenched his jaw to keep from crying out. He didn't want to wake Inuyasha. This felt too good to end it. The bulge in the tendril throbbed and twisted against that spot. Sesshomaru's breathing picked up. He was moaning. He couldn't help it. It felt so good. The throbbing increased in speed and he cried out as he came.

Inuyasha bolted upright and spun to look at Sesshomaru. "What the fuck?" He blinked at Sesshomaru. He was writhing on the bed, his belly wet with his seed. His legs were spread and his hole was wide open. "What are you doing?"

Sesshomaru moaned and shook his head. "It's you." He cried out again as the tendril inside of him pressed hard against that spot and rubbed like a fist against a muscle knot. "Oh, Kami. Don't stop."

Inuyasha watched in silent wonder. He could feel his demon energy spilling out of himself and filling his mate. His demon was using its energy to fuck his mate. Inuyasha growled in annoyance. He moved between Sesshomaru's legs. "That's my job." He thrust into Sesshomaru, causing him to come, splashing his belly with more wetness. Inuyasha pulled out momentarily and flipped Sesshomaru onto his belly. He yanked his hips up and thrust back into him.

Sesshomaru moaned and panted. This felt even better. The tendrils of Inuyasha's demon were still working him. The one inside was now throbbing against that spot again. The one around his penis was now sucking him. And a third one had started to caress his balls. "Don't stop. Oh, Kami, Inuyasha, don't stop."

Inuyasha didn't stop. If he focused, he could feel what his demon was doing. It felt like he had two cocks fucking his mate. It felt like he had an extra mouth sucking on his mates cock. It was a strange feeling. He wasn't completely sure he liked it.

Sesshomaru cried out as Inuyasha sped up, fucking him faster, harder. He came a third time. Still, the assault on his body didn't stop. All he could do was moan as the pleasure continued. After the fifth time he came, it wasn't that pleasurable anymore. The pressure inside of him was starting to make that spot hurt. And the suction on his cock was starting to hurt. "No more. Please."

Inuyasha growled. "I stop when I want to stop." He thrust even harder. Sesshomaru's moans turned to whimpers. He all but screamed as he came again. Inuyasha could feel his fear building. He moaned as pleasure shivered up his spine. Sesshomaru's fear was like an aphrodisiac. He didn't stop until Sesshomaru came again. He felt the pain of the orgasm fill Sesshomaru's groin. And he came, filling his mate's bowels.

Inuyasha rolled off of him and Sesshomaru collapsed onto his belly. He squirmed as Inuyasha's energy didn't leave him. It had stopped moving for the moment, but he could still feel it. The tendril inside of him swelled. He whimpered in pain as his hole burned as it was being stretched beyond what was comfortable.

Inuyasha growled again and yanked his demon energy back into himself. Sesshomaru yelped as it popped out of him. "Fucking whore. Moaning and coming and letting yourself be fucked by invisible energy." Inuyasha sat up. He was angry again. He went to the door and pulled it open. "Someone bring me food." He slammed the door and started pacing again.

Sesshomaru stayed where he was. His ass hurt. He had felt himself tear when Inuyasha had ripped his energy out of him. The ache in his arm returned as Inuyasha's energy left that as well. The energy had been masking his pain and helping him heal. It already felt more along in the healing then it had been when he had woken.

Inuyasha's anger was building as he paced. "Can't get any fucking rest with my friends around. Have to come here just to sleep. Wake up and my whore of a mate is spreading his legs for my fucking demon." He slammed his fist into a wall. "He's my fucking mate! You hear me! You keep your hands and your cock off of him." His energy rolled in anger. Inuyasha pushed it down and shoved it away in a box where he locked it up when it was causing him problems. There was a knock on the door and he turned with a snarl. "What!?"

The door slid open and Riko took a step inside, a tray in hand. "I brought food, my Lord."

Inuyasha pointed. "Feed him."

The demon bowed and moved to Sesshomaru. He knelt beside him and looked to the angry hanyo. "May I move him, my Lord?"

"I told you to feed him, damn it. Move him if you need to. Just do it."

Riko rolled Sesshomaru over and helped him to sit, propped against the pillows again. "I brought pork rice and fried fish this time, my Lord."

Inuyasha growled. "You don't need to talk to him to feed him."

The demon bowed and proceeded to do the task he was given. Sesshomaru ate, his eyes never leaving his mate. He could feel the demon trembling slightly. He could also feel the massive cloud of anger rolling out from Inuyasha. As he fed Sesshomaru, his other hand gently rubbed his thigh, offering what comfort he could.

Inuyasha was mumbling to himself. Or rather to his demon. Sesshomaru's stomach was knotted in fear again. Inuyasha was furious. He turned, his eyes gone red, his demon markings clear on his face. "Get out!"

Riko got out. As much as he wanted to help his master, he couldn't get between the angry hanyo and his mate.

Inuyasha stood over Sesshomaru. He grabbed a handful of his hair and pulled him onto his knees. "How many times have you bent over and lifted your ass in the air for someone else?"

Sesshomaru swallowed. He had never seen Inuyasha like this. At that moment, he felt pure demon. "I'm sorry."

Inuyasha shook Sesshomaru by the hair. "I asked you a fucking question. Answer me."

"I don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know."

Inuyasha growled in anger and threw Sesshomaru across the room. He hit the wall beside the door with a grunt of pain, cracking the wall. Inuyasha started to pace again as Sesshomaru slid to the floor, his legs splayed.

Sesshomaru's breath shuddered in pain. Every one of his ribs had broken when he hit the wall. They had snapped away from his spine. His neck had broken when Inuyasha had thrown him. He couldn't move. He had slid down and was slumped over and he was having trouble breathing.

Inuyasha stopped pacing when his demon raged a warning at him, filling his mind with panic. His mate was dying. Inuyasha spun. Sesshomaru's face was purple. He ran to him and pulled him away from the wall and onto his back. His head rolled sickeningly and his breathing was tight and squeaky. "Fuck." Inuyasha yelled. "Get the healer! Now!" Inuyasha hovered over Sesshomaru. He had no idea what to do.

Running footsteps approached and the door crashed open. The small demon ran in and knelt beside Sesshomaru. He ran his hands over his master's chest. "You have to help him, my Lord. His lungs are damaged. He cannot heal this on his own." He carefully lifted Sesshomaru's head and set his neck where it was supposed to be. "Lord Inuyasha." He looked over his shoulder when the hanyo hadn't moved. "Help him."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't know how."

"Your demon does. Let it out. Let it help your mate. He's dying. He doesn't have the energy to heal himself and protect the child. You need to help him."

Inuyasha's eyes snapped to the smaller demon. "The child?"

Riko winced. "Yes. Sesshomaru will miscarry if you don't help him. His body will heal itself and kill the child so they don't both die."

Inuyasha backed away. "You told him that you wouldn't be able to tell for another week if he were pregnant."

Riko swallowed, suddenly afraid of what the hanyo would do. "I lied. I could tell as soon as I touched him that he was with child. Please, Lord Inuyasha. Please help him. Sesshomaru has wanted a child for a very long time. Please don't let it die."

Inuyasha shook his head, anger filling him again. "Will Sesshomaru die?"

"No. But the child will."

"Then let it die." Inuyasha turned and jumped out of the window. He ran into the forest and kept going until his demon stopped raging.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Riko could only sit and listen worriedly to Sesshomaru's breathing. He looked up at the crack in the stone wall. Sesshomaru had hit it with a great deal of force. He had had one of the guard's fetch his assistant and the girl was sitting at Sesshomaru's head, holding his neck so it wouldn't move.

Sesshomaru moaned in pain.

"I'm sorry, my Lord. It will only be a moment longer. But I need you to try to push a bit."

Sesshomaru felt tears well over as he did as he was told.

"That's it. It's over." Riko placed the bloody tissue into a bowl. He examined it to be sure it was complete. The child had only grown to about half a fingers length. But it meant that Sesshomaru had been mated for about two weeks, much longer than he thought. "I'm so sorry, my Lord."

"Take it away. Get it out of here." Sesshomaru let out a sob and closed his eyes.

Riko stood. "I'll be back in a moment. Keep his head still." The demon went down the hall to Sesshomaru's healing room. He placed the bowl on a shelf and covered it with a towel. He would bury the poor child when his master was well enough to be left alone. He gathered a few more supplies and went back to his master's side.

"Leave me alone. Please."

"Soon, my Lord." Riko cleaned Sesshomaru up as best he could. The bleeding has already stopped. "You may leave, dear." Riko took Sesshomaru's head and the girl left. He moved so he supported Sesshomaru's head between his knees. "I'm sorry."

"Just shut up." Sesshomaru felt like his heart was being torn in two. For the last two hundred years he had been actively searching for a mate. Until this heat, no one had been strong enough to force him to submission. Inuyasha hadn't done it, but Riko had been right that he was a powerful mate, even if he was a hanyo. He had been terrified when Riko had told him that he may have conceived because he knew that Inuyasha would be angry about it. But oh, how he had been longing for a child.

Riko gently stroked Sesshomaru's head as the tears continued. "You can try again, my Lord."

"No. Inuyasha will never let me have a child." He grunted as one of his ribs popped back into place. Now that his energy wasn't being wasted on growing the child, he was healing quickly.

"Inuyasha is young and angry, my Lord. Perhaps he will change his mind one day."

"I doubt it." Sesshomaru opened his eyes and looked up at his healer. "Please leave now."

"Not just yet, my Lord. Your neck isn't strong enough."

"How long?"

"Perhaps an hour, now."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes again. "Don't ever lie to me again."

"I apologize. I thought if I waited to tell you, you would be more settled and the news would be easier to handle. I could see that your mating was not a happy one and you were afraid."

"My mating is my concern. Don't ever lie to me."

"Yes, my Lord."

Inuyasha stood on a cliff and looked out at the valley below him. He had finally succeeded in shoving his demon away completely. But he could still feel Sesshomaru. He was in a great deal of pain. He was still terrified. And now an overwhelming despair filled him.

Inuyasha fisted his hands at his sides. What had he just done? He wasn't even completely sure why he had done it. He didn't want children but he never thought he would stoop so low as to kill his own child. Even if it had been growing inside of Sesshomaru.

He started to pace along the cliff edge. He didn't know what was happening to him. He couldn't stop being angry. Sesshomaru had done nothing but submit. He shouldn't be angry. He should be happy that the bastard was being so submissive. He should be happy that the cold, heartless asshole that had tormented him his entire life was finally brought to heel, moaning under him while he filled him with his cock.

But he wasn't. And he didn't know why.

Inuyasha needed someone to talk to. But he had no one. He didn't know who he could go to. Maybe the monk? But that meant telling his friend what he had done. He didn't know if he could do that. His friends were human. They would think him a monster for what he had done. _He_ thought he was a monster for what he had done.

Inuyasha sat and looked out at the valley again. What had he done?


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Sesshomaru opened his eyes. He was in his bed. He had asked Riko to make him sleep while the demon had still been supporting his head. He turned his head slowly. His neck was stiff and it hurt to move and he settled back onto the pillow.

"Try not to move too much. You're still healing."

Sesshomaru closed his eyes again. He could breathe just fine. His ribs and lungs had healed. "How long was I asleep?"

"About six hours."

"Has Inuyasha been back?"

"No, my Lord."

Sesshomaru swallowed and asked the question he really wanted the answer to. "What did you do with it?"

Riko lowered his knitting. "I buried it under the cherry tree in the south corner of the inner garden."

"That's a good place." Tears stung his eyes again. "Could you tell what it was?"

"No, my Lord. It was too soon to tell." Riko let his master slip into silence again. The room was quiet for a few minutes. When Sesshomaru's tears stopped, he broached a sensitive subject. "My Lord, you were about two weeks along. Are you certain of the time of your mating?"

Sesshomaru felt a small jolt of surprise. Two weeks? "No. I was damaged. I don't know how long I was unconscious."

"It would have been longer then you would have thought. As soon as your mating was complete, your body would have known if it had conceived and sent the majority of your energy to your womb if your injuries weren't life threatening."

"I suppose that makes sense."

"May I ask, my Lord? Do you know what provoked Lord Inuyasha's attack?"

Sesshomaru closed his eyes in shame. "Inuyasha asked about my past sexual experience."

"Ah. I suppose that would have made him angry. It's quite widely known that you have had many lovers."

"Don't repeat that to Inuyasha. Please."

"No, my Lord. It is not my place." Riko went back to his knitting. "Are you hungry?"

"No. Why are you in here?"

"I wanted to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't reinjure your neck."

"Why does my belly hurt?"

"That will take a bit longer to heal, I'm afraid. The miscarriage was a violent one. Your womb will heal slowly."

"I wish to be alone."

"Yes, my Lord." Riko left the room. He felt a sadness fill him as a howl of despair followed him down the hall.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Inuyasha found his friends at the inn again. He had been gone for two days. They peppered him with angry questions as soon as they saw him.

"Would you all shut up?" Inuyasha grabbed Miroku and dragged him out of the inn. He didn't stop until they were in the trees and he had found a secluded place. The others hadn't followed them. "I'm going to tell you something. I don't want you to talk until I'm done."

"Alright." Miroku sat against a tree and folded his arms. "I'm listening."

Inuyasha started at the beginning, telling the monk how he had found Sesshomaru and mated him. He told him about his time spent in the castle. He told him about hurting Sesshomaru and leaving him knowing that it would mean the death of their child. When he finished, he stood with his back to his friend. "I don't know why I'm so angry."

"Wow. This isn't what I expected. I figured that you had matured, sexually, but I didn't know you had mated."

Inuyasha frowned. "Miroku, I started having sex years ago. Kikiyo was my lover. And she wasn't the first. I've fucked dozens of women. And men. Sometimes because they were curious and I was horny. Sometimes because they paid me. But I started having sex a long time ago. What does that have to do with maturing?"

"I forget sometimes how ignorant you are about your demon half." Miroku cleared his throat when Inuyasha's face turned angry. "You age like a demon. You were 150 when you were pinned to the tree. That age is when a demon usually reaches sexual maturity and becomes sexually active. You didn't age when you were pinned to the tree. So while you may, technically, be 200 years old, you are physically still 150. But because of your human blood you had sex earlier. That isn't uncommon with hanyo's."

"Right, and?"

"And when a dominant male matures, he becomes more aggressive. I'm afraid I don't know much, Inuyasha. Perhaps you should talk to the healer at the castle. He seems to know a good bit about demon mating. He should be able to help you."

"I might. But he's loyal to Sesshomaru."

"Exactly. And you are Sesshomaru's mate. He should want to help you figure out why you are being so angry and aggressive with your mate when he is being so submissive."

"I don't like feeling angry like this. I don't like feeling like my demon is getting out of my control."

Miroku stood and put a hand on his friends shoulder. "Go talk to the healer. You need the advice of a demon. I can only tell you what I know and it isn't much."

"I will." He looked his friend in the eye. "Don't tell the others. I don't want them looking at me like I'm a monster."

"I don't think you're a monster. I think you were scared and ran away. You may not like to hear it, or admit it, but you're still a child."

Inuyasha glowered. "I'm not a child."

"A teenager, growth wise. Try not to be so hard on yourself."

Inuyasha's shoulders slumped. "I let my own child die."

"You can try again."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't want children. I don't want them growing up not belonging in either world. I don't want them growing up with a hanyo for a father."

"You're too hard on yourself. Talk about it with Sesshomaru."

"I'm not talking about anything with him. It's my decision."

Miroku held his hands up. He could see the anger growing in his friend. "It's your choice. I won't interfere."

"Can you find your way back?"

"Sure. Go on." Miroku watched Inuyasha disappear. He sighed. He felt bad for his friend. He seemed very confused and very angry with himself about what he had done. Inuyasha may say that he didn't want children, but Miroku suspected that the opposite was true.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Sesshomaru set down the scroll he was reading. Inuyasha was getting closer. He felt his fear rise again. The door slid open and there he was.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha closed the door behind him and moved to stand behind Sesshomaru.

"Reading petitions."

Inuyasha lifted the scroll that was lying open in front of his mate. "An argument over who owns a goat. Is this guy serious? Is this the type of shit you go through every day?"

"Yes. It may seem trivial to us, but a single goat often means a lot to a family. They provide milk or meat." He shifted the scroll into one of the piles he was making when Inuyasha tossed it back down.

"Hmm. Well keep at it. Where can I find Riko?"

"In his rooms. A guard can show you." Sesshomaru watched Inuyasha leave. What had that been about?

Inuyasha followed the guard down the halls. He pulled open the door the guard stopped at. He walked in to find the small demon's ass pumping as he fucked an even smaller female lying under him. "I need to talk to you."

Riko paused and looked over his shoulder. "May I finished?" He went back to what he was doing when Inuyasha waved a dismissive hand.

Inuyasha walked around the room, ignoring the moaning. After several minutes he was growing tired of waiting. "Do hurry up."

Riko grunted as he finished. He pulled out and slapped the maid on the ass. "Go back to work."

Inuyasha watched the girl leave. "Do you do this often?"

Riko shrugged, watching the hanyo cautiously. "We aren't all lucky enough to have a mate. But that maid and I have been lovers for several years."

"Are you going to mate her?" Inuyasha picked up a jar of herbs and took off the lid to smell it.

"She is still young, only 170. She won't have her first heat for 30 more years. But we are both Usagi's of high lineage. She is a younger daughter of her family and was sent to serve Lord Sesshomaru by her father to show fealty. Many of the servants here are the same."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"She is only one of my lovers, I have several. But yes, my Lord. If she is still here when she has her first heat, I would mate her. She is a lovely girl. I enjoy her company."

"Good. That's good." Inuyasha examined several more jars of herbs.

"You said you needed to talk to me, my Lord?"

"When will Sesshomaru go into heat again?"

Riko was very careful with his answer. He didn't want to anger the young hanyo. "A year. Now that he is mated, he will go into heat every year until he gives birth to a living child. Then it won't happen again for another ten years."

"Is there any way to prevent him from conceiving?"

"Yes. An herbal tea. But it would be very painful to Lord Sesshomaru."

"How so?"

"He would need to drink it the day after his heat ends. The tea would cause his womb to empty itself of your seed and anything else that may be in it."

"So like a miscarriage?"

"Very much like it, yes."

Inuyasha stopped in front of the window and pushed it open to look out at the garden. "I don't know why I ran."

Riko didn't respond. It seemed the hanyo was getting closer to what he really wanted to discuss.

"I don't know why I'm so angry. I don't like feeling like this."

"Can you tell me what it is that is angering you so much?"

"I'm not completely sure. I like it that Sesshomaru is afraid of me. I like to feel his fear. I've been afraid of him for most of my life. I like it that the tables have turned." He watched a small bird fly into its nest in one of the trees. "I'm angry that he's so submissive."

Riko frowned. "You would rather he not be submissive?"

Inuyasha clenched his jaw. "I want to hurt him. When he's submissive, I have no reason to hurt him. I want him to fight me to I can punish him."

"I see." And he did. Inuyasha hated Sesshomaru. He wanted to punish his mate for all of the suffering he had caused him as a child.

"But I also don't want him to fight me. I like him submissive. I like it when he moans and comes with my cock in his ass. I like it when he lays there and doesn't move. I enjoy seeing him brought low and completely submissive to me."

RIko understood that as well. It was still a part of Inuyasha's hatred. Sesshomaru was a powerful man. But now he was just a bitch to his mate.

"I'm pissed off that my demon keeps telling me to take care of him. I'm pissed off that it keeps trying to comfort him. And I'm really pissed off that it had the balls to fuck my mate while I spelt."

Riko blinked in surprise. "I don't understand."

Inuyasha turned to look at the small demon. "My energy reached out and was physically fucking my mate. And Sesshomaru was moaning and taking it like the whore he is." His anger flared again. He felt Sesshomaru fear rise and it make his cock twitch.

"That is an extremely rare ability, my Lord."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that your demon energy being able to leave your body and interact with your mate is one of the rarest abilities among the daiyokai. I only know of one demon currently alive that has the ability. The Northern Lord. It is said that he can pleasure his mate from anywhere in his castle if he so desires. Even your father, one of the most powerful demon Lords to ever walk the Earth, did not have that ability."

"Well I don't like it. I don't have a whole lot of control over my demon. I don't like it fucking my mate."

"My Lord, I can teach you to tame your demon. To truly become one with it and to gain complete control over it. It is not a separate entity. It is you. It is a manifestation of your demon blood and when you cannot control your demon, it is simply acting out your baser instincts. In this instance, it is pleasuring your mate because you find it pleasurable to bring him pleasure."

"What about when it forces me to take care of him?"

"That is mere instinct, my Lord. It is natural for a dominant male to want to care for his mate. Even if you wish to cause him pain, you will have a need to take care of him afterwards. To make sure that he heals and stays healthy."

"You can really teach me to control it?"

"Yes, my Lord. You are at the age where," he paused, unsure of how Inuyasha would react. "You are at the age where your father, or another close male relative, would teach you control. It is taught when a demon reaches sexual awakening."

Inuyasha sighed and sat on the windowsill. "I want to learn."

"Yes, my Lord. I will gladly teach you."

"What do I do about the anger?"

"That may be a bit more difficult. But if you feel the need to punish Lord Sesshomaru, perhaps you could ask him to fight you. Then you can punish him and perhaps ease some of your anger."

"It's not the same. He doesn't want to fight me."

"Oh course not. Lord Sesshomaru has very strong instincts telling him that he needs to be submissive to his mate. But he also needs to be obedient. If you tell him to fight you, he will. Just please do try not to damage him so badly."

Inuyasha growled a warning. "He'll heal."

Riko sighed. "Yes, my Lord. He is very powerful. He can heal almost anything now that he isn't pregnant." Riko blinked and found himself looking at the ceiling. Inuyasha stepped into his field of vision and growled down at him.

"Watch yourself, bunny rabbit."

Riko sat up when the door closed. He pushed his broken jaw back into place. He hadn't even seen it coming. The hanyo was incredibly fast.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Sesshomaru looked up when Inuyasha walked into the room again. The hanyo laid on the futon under the window and put an arm over his eyes. Sesshomaru turned back to his work.

"How long will that take you?"

"The petitions are never ending. There are over a thousand that have built up since I have been gone. Apparently I have been gone for three weeks this time."

"How long?"

"A week, perhaps. But more come in every day."

Inuyasha rolled onto his side and propped his head on his hand. He watched Sesshomaru for a while. After the fifth scroll, he moved to sit across from him. "How do you do this?"

"Serious petitions, murder, rape, theft of valuables, on the left. Minor petitions, such as arguments over farm animals or theft of crops, on the right. Ones that I need more information on go in the center."

Inuyasha pulled a scroll from the box. "Theft of a box of tomatoes."

"Minor."

Inuyasha put it on the appropriate pile and pulled out another. "Theft of a stool." Inuyasha frowned. "A stool?" He sighed and tossed it in the minor pile. "That's just sad." He picked up another one. "Man was stabbed by his neighbor because he refused to let the neighbor graze his sheep on his land."

"Major."

"This is boring."

"Not everything about being a Lord is killing rampaging demons. Most of it is boring."

Inuyasha went through a dozen more scrolls, all minor petitions. "You do this every day?"

"Usually. I spend several hours at it. Then I write responses to the minor petitions and have the major petitions scheduled to come present their case. The ones I need more information on I send someone to investigate the situation."

"How do you respond to something like a neighbor milking a cow that didn't belong to him?"

"I write out responses to the petitions on a scroll and send out an official to read my decisions. In the case of milk theft, I make the thief pay the one he stole from for the milk. My officials have a list of market prices. The thieves pay market price for what they stole unless the one they stole from asks for less. Sometimes they just want a simple apology and a promise to not do it again."

"Why don't you write down your decisions as you go so you don't need to go through all of the scrolls twice?"

"That's difficult to do with one arm. Too much clutter on the desk for me to write comfortably while I sort."

Inuyasha frowned. He pulled a blank scroll towards him. "Give me the pen." Sesshomaru passed his mate the ink stone and brush, a concerned look on his face. "Don't look at me like that. I write legibly." He pulled the minor pile to him. "How do I do this?"

"Three lines each petition. Name, location, decision."

Inuyasha wrote the name and location for the first petition. "Theft of a pair of boots."

"Pay to replace them."

For the next hour, Sesshomaru sorted petitions and Inuyasha asked Sesshomaru for his decisions and filled out the scroll for the official. After a handful of petitions involving produce or milk, he didn't bother to ask Sesshomaru anymore, he just wrote to compensate market price.

Sesshomaru continued to sort petitions. This wasn't something that he would have ever expected Inuyasha to do. But it was somehow relaxing. Inuyasha's anger had settled as he worked at the tedious job. Sesshomaru opened another petition and shifted uncomfortably. He handed it to Inuyasha and tried to hide behind another one. He jumped when Inuyasha burst out laughing.

"Is this man serious?"

"I'm afraid so. I get about one of those a month."

Inuyasha frowned. "You get petitions from people complaining that I destroyed something saving their damn lives?"

"Unfortunately."

"What do you do about them?"

"Depends on what you destroyed."

"This one is for a floor. I remember this guy. He had a borer demon under his house and begged us to get rid of it. Now he's demanding compensation? This is bullshit."

"You do have a rather brash way of handling things, Inuyasha." He flinched when Inuyasha's anger flared.

"I'm not the one that destroyed the floor. The demon destroyed it when he burst up from under the house to come at me. So what would you do about this petition?"

"I usually send materials to make the repairs."

Inuyasha's anger fizzled. "You fix my problems?"

"Mostly. I don't send money. I just send repair materials, wood and nails usually."

"You shouldn't do that. I saved the lives of these people and they have the balls to want payment for it. They should be paying me. I'm the one putting my life on the line to protect them."

"Most of these people are very poor, Inuyasha. They don't have the means to pay for the repairs. Almost every petition I get is because a part of a home has been damaged. A few times it's because crops have been damaged or livestock killed. I compensate with market price for the crops and replace the livestock. I do it to help the people. They shouldn't lose their homes or their livelihoods because some demon decided to harass them."

"Well now I feel bad."

"You do what you need to do. You help them by killing the demons. I help them by helping them rebuild. What you do is important. What I do is important."

Inuyasha scratched his head. "Maybe I should stay behind after a kill and make sure the people are able to rebuild."

"If they don't have the means, they contact me." Sesshomaru took the last scroll from the box. A minor petition.

"Is that all of them?"

"That's the last of this box. There are 8 more of them in the other room." Sesshomaru moved the pile of minors that Inuyasha had already finished into the box. He pulled over a blank scroll and frowned when he remember that Inuyasha had his ink and pen.

"Take a break." Inuyasha stood and stretched. He pulled Sesshomaru to his feet. "Come with me." He led the way outside into the garden.

Sesshomaru stopped in the doorway. He really didn't want to go out into the inner garden.

Inuyasha turned when he felt a desperate sadness fill his mate. "What's wrong?"

Sesshomaru swallowed. "Riko buried it under the cherry tree."

Inuyasha frowned, not understanding. He turned to look at the towering tree and the tiny spot of turned earth under it. Realization dawned. He held out his hand. "Come on."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I'm not ready." He winced as Inuyasha grew angry. "Please." He fell to his knees and pressed his head to the floor. "Please. I'm not ready."

Inuyasha grabbed Sesshomaru by the hair and pulled him outside. "I said to come." He pulled the demon to his feet and took his hand, drawing him towards the tree.

Sesshomaru resisted. "No. Please, Inuyasha." He dug his heels in and tried to stop. "No."

Inuyasha, now in a rage, threw Sesshomaru over his shoulder and dumped him on his ass at the base of the tree. The demon was making a horrible sound. It was part whine, part scream, and was making Inuyasha's ears hurt. He was also filled with terror and a heartsick pain. Inuyasha knelt in front of his mate. "I'm sorry."

Sesshomaru couldn't tear his eyes from the little pile of dirt.

"Sesshomaru. Look at me." He moved between his mate and the grave. "Look at me." Pain filled eyes lifted to his. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, alright? I shouldn't have left. It shouldn't have happened. I'm sorry."

Sesshomaru trembled and stared at Inuyasha. "I want to go inside. I can't be here. I want to go inside. I can't." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I can't. Please. I can't do it. I'm not ready." He started crying when Inuyasha lifted him into his arms. He wrapped his legs around his mate and clung to him. "Please. I want to go inside."

Inuyasha carried Sesshomaru back inside. He continued to beg, even when Inuyasha set him down and stripped him of the robe he had been wearing. Out of his own clothes, he lifted his mate again and walked into the hot spring. Inuyasha rubbed Sesshomaru's back and rocked him slowly.

"I'm not ready. Please don't make me do it. I'll be good. I'll be good. Just please don't make me do it." Sesshomaru trembled and clung to Inuyasha. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Just calm down. I won't make you go outside."

"I'm sorry I lost the baby. I'll do better next time. I promise."

Inuyasha's chest clenched painfully. "I know you will." He whispered the words. He didn't know why he said it. He hated this demon in his arms. But he could feel the complete and total despair that filled him and it hurt something in him. "I know you will, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha rocked the demon until he cried himself to sleep. He carried him to the bedroom and tucked him into the bed.

Riko looked up when his door opened. "My Lord. How may I help you?"

Inuyasha sat across from the healer. "I don't want to be angry anymore."

"I can teach you control over your demon, my Lord, but I don't know how to help you with your anger."

"I think I just need someone to talk to. I felt better after we talked. I was able to spend time with Sesshomaru and help him with some work without being angry."

Riko smiled. "That's good, my Lord. I am always here if you need someone to talk to."

"I wanted to spar with him. But he refused to go outside. I threw him over my shoulder and forced him to look at the grave." Inuyasha put his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have done it. But his refusing to go outside pissed me off and I wanted him to hurt. But I didn't expect it to feel like that. He is completely devastated."

The small demon nodded. "Lord Sesshomaru has waited a long time to have a child."

"I told him he would do better next time. Why did I say that? I don't want children. I don't want to curse a child to be like me. To have me as a father."

Riko gave the hanyo a soft smile. "Any child you have with Sesshomaru will be a demon, Inuyasha. But if you do not want to be a father, you do not need to be involved with the child."

"Why does Sesshomaru want one?" Inuyasha picked up a jar and sniffed the salve inside. The label said it was for treating burns. He poked around in the shelves and waited for an answer.

"It is difficult to explain. Sesshomaru wants to continue your father's bloodline. But mostly, he just simply wants a child. He has a deep desire to be a mother. The desire is so strong it often frightens him. He is over 400 years old and has searched for over a century for a mate. He has feared for a very long time that he would never find someone strong enough to mate him. And his instincts wouldn't let him submit to anyone less powerful than him. Now that he is mated, he doesn't feel the need to be the aggressive demon Lord. All he wants is a child. If you allow him to teach you how to do the work, Sesshomaru would gladly hand over the title of Lord to you. He doesn't want it. He never has. Since Sesshomaru came of age, all he has wanted is a child."

Inuyasha was looking out the window again. He could see the cherry tree and its sad little mound of dirt from where he stood. "Put up a grave marker. Our lost child deserves as much."

"Of course, my Lord. I'll have one made. Would you like or plain or do you wish to give the child a name?"

"Was it a boy or a girl?"

"It was too early to tell. I'm sorry."

"Ichiko."

Riko watched the hanyo leave his room again. His face had been a mask of sadness.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Sesshomaru woke slowly. He rolled over and burrowed under his blankets. He didn't want to move. He was heart sick. He had finally gotten what he wanted. A powerful mate. Even if the mate was his hanyo half-brother. There wasn't anything he could do to change it. He could only accept what had happened. But he didn't know if he could ever accept the fact that he had lost his child. A child he hadn't even known was growing inside of him until he was losing it. Pain overwhelmed him and he buried his face into a pillow.

Inuyasha was sitting under the cherry tree. He couldn't stop thinking about the tiny life buried under that sad little mound of dirt. It was his fault that the life had been lost. Sesshomaru had woken and he could feel complete and utter sorrow filling the demon. It hurt him to feel it. It hurt him to know that he was the one that had caused such an overwhelming pain to fill his mate.

Inuyasha had been sitting and looking at the little grave for hours. And he had been arguing with himself. On one hand, he hated Sesshomaru. The demon had tormented him for his entire life. But on the other hand, Sesshomaru was his mate. He would be stuck with the demon for the rest of his life. He didn't want to feel this anger anymore. His anger would get him nothing but a fight against his demon instincts. He wanted to try giving into his instincts and try to see how things played out.

Standing, he made his way back into the castle. He quietly slipped into the bedroom and let his robe fall to the floor. Right now, his instincts were telling him that he needed to comfort his mate.

Sesshomaru stiffened when he was gently pulled against his mate's body. Inuyasha put his chin on top of his head and pulled him tight against him. Sesshomaru took a shuddering breath. Inuyasha's energy was wrapping around him as well and he could feel it soaking into him. It wrapped him in warmth. He suddenly felt safe. And wanted.

Inuyasha stroked Sesshomaru back when the demon clung to him and started to cry. He cried in great big body shuddering sobs. Inuyasha held him while he let out the pain that was eating away at him. He screamed. He howled. He wailed.

And Inuyasha's heart broke. He had done this. He never thought he would ever be capable of hurting someone like this. Yes, he wanted Sesshomaru to feel pain for the pain he had inflicted in him throughout his life. But not like this. Never like this. Inuyasha didn't know if he could ever help his mate heal from this.

"I'm sorry, Sesshomaru." He help Sesshomaru tighter, ignoring the pain as Sesshomaru's claws dug into his back and the demon continued to wail. It was a sound unlike anything he had ever heard. It was the sound of a soul tearing apart.

Inuyasha looked up as the door opened and closed. Riko crossed the room quickly. He put a hand on Sesshomaru head. "You need to calm him, my Lord. He's trying to will himself to die."

Inuyasha nodded, a grim determination filling him. "What do I do?"

"Let go of your hold on your demon energy. Don't hold it back."

"I don't know if I can do that. I've always got a tight hold on it."

"Close your eyes." Inuyasha obeyed and he touched his forehead. The young hanyo's power thrummed through his fingers. He was so powerful. So incredibly powerful. If he had been completely demon, he could have ruled the world. As it was, he was more powerful than Sesshomaru. He was almost as powerful as his father. And he had only just reached his sexual maturity. When he fully matured in 50 years, his power would rival his fathers.

"What are you doing?"

Riko shook off his wonder. "Find the center of yourself. That place where your demon lives." He could feel the hanyo searching. He felt the moment he found what he was looking for. His power flared. "Can you feel the cage you keep around it?"

Inuyasha swallowed. "Yes."

"You need to open the cage." Riko shifted as Sesshomaru tried to curl in on himself. Inuyasha arms tightened around him and held him firmly. "Your power is already trying to comfort your mate. But it isn't strong enough to calm this with just the small amount of your power you let out."

"I'm afraid. What if I can't pull it back?"

"Your demon power is not a separate entity. It is you. It will feel overwhelming at first. But I will guide you. You need to release your power."

Inuyasha opened the cage.

Riko hissed in a breath as more power than he had ever felt before roared out of the hanyo. The power immediately wrapped around Sesshomaru. Riko looked up and his eyes widened in shock. Inuyasha's body had changed with the complete release of his power. Gone were the dog ears. He had the ears of a demon. Markings slashed his face, just like his father's markings. Inuyasha's eyes opened and Riko wasn't surprised to find them red. "Good, Inuyasha. Can you feel what the power is doing to your mate?"

"Caressing him. Warming him. Pushing away his pain." Inuyasha had never felt his power like this before. "What's happening to me?"

Riko touched the hanyo's head again. "Don't think about yourself. Think about your mate. Try to direct the power. Fill it with comfort."

Inuyasha pulled Sesshomaru up so he could press his lips to his ear. "Don't leave me," he whispered. He tried to fill the power with comfort by thinking comforting thoughts. The warmth of a hot spring. The way he usually felt with his friends, knowing he was accepted by them. The way it had felt when his mother hugged him.

Sesshomaru slowly quieted. He hadn't felt this type of comfort since he was a child and his father would hold him. He didn't want the feeling to end. It had been so long since someone had cared.

Inuyasha stroked a hand up Sesshomaru back and cupped his head. "I swear to you, it won't happen again. You can't leave me. Because I need you to give me a son."

Sesshomaru shuddered. He looked up into the red eyes of his mate. "Don't lie to me. I couldn't take it."

"I'm not lying." He touched gentle lips to his mate's face. "I want a child. It frightens me so much I hardly think. But I want a child. Please don't leave me."

"I couldn't do it again. If it happens again just kill me. My soul would die."

"Please calm down. I don't know how to do this, Sesshomaru. I don't know how to be a good mate. I need you to help me."

Sesshomaru pressed his face to his mate's neck. "You smell like a demon."

Riko nodded cautiously. "Lord Inuyasha. You're demon energy is so powerful it's burning away your human blood."

Inuyasha looked up at the small demon. "What?"

"Feel your head."

Inuyasha reached up. His ears were gone. He found them on the side of his head, pointed like his mates. "What's happening to me?"

"You should reel in your energy. We should talk about this before you make a decision you cannot change."

"I don't know how."

Sesshomaru licked the side of Inuyasha's neck. "You pulled your power out of me. It's like that. But be gentler. Think of it like your power is reaching out with many arms. Fold your arms back against yourself."

Inuyasha closed his eyes. His power was completely surrounding his mate. But he did as Sesshomaru suggested. He pictured his energy as many arms, wrapping around Sesshomaru and holding him, safe and warm. And he slowly pulled them back.

"Good. Very good." Riko sat back as the markings faded form the hanyo's face and his fuzzy ears returned to his head. "You are learning very quickly."

Inuyasha slumped. He was completely exhausted. "Leave us."

Riko bowed. "Come see me once you have rested."

Sesshomaru pressed his face harder against Inuyasha's neck. He wrapped his leg around his mate's waist and tried to press as much of himself against him as he could. "You didn't lie?"

"No. I didn't lie." He sighed and lifted a knee between his mate's legs. "I sat by the grave and really thought about what I wanted. I still hate you. You've hurt me too much over my lifetime. But you're my mate. My instincts tell me that I need to care for you and keep you safe and healthy. And happy. And what would make you happy is to have a child." He sighed and rubbed his cheek against the side of Sesshomaru's head. "I've never wanted a child. Because I didn't want a child to have to go through the same shit I went through. But Riko told me that our child will be a demon. It won't have any human blood. While I looked at the little grave and the enormous mistake I made, I realized how much I want a child."

Sesshomaru trembled slightly. He pressed gentle kisses to his mate's neck. "I'll do better next time. I won't lose the baby. I'll give you a healthy boy. I'll stay in bed every day until it's born. Just please let me have one. Please."

Inuyasha slid a hand down over Sesshomaru ass as his mate's hand wrapped around his cock. "I'll give you a baby."

Sesshomaru moaned softly as he pressed himself against Inuyasha's cock and felt it enter him. Inuyasha's hands gripped his ass and pulled him tight against him. "Fuck me."

Inuyasha rolled until he was on top of his mate and did just that. He fucked his mate until he cried out in pleasure. He collapsed on top of him after he came, exhausted. He rolled off and pulled Sesshomaru against him again. "Sleep."

Sesshomaru turned his face up. He found comfort in having his face pressed to his mate's neck. His scent was strong there. And he could feel the warmth of his skin against his face. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and followed his mate into sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Heads turned and jaws dropped in shock. Inuyasha stood in the doorway of the room his friends were staying in at the inn. "Come with me."

Kagome stood quickly and followed Inuyasha. "What the hell are you wearing?"

Inuyasha was dressed in silk from head to toe. The clothing was very much like what Sesshomaru wore minus the armor and with a red obi. "Clothes."

"Where have you been?" Kagome tried to pull him to a stop and Inuyasha spun with a growl.

"Don't touch me. I said to follow."

Kagome swallowed. Inuyasha seemed so different. "Where have you been?"

"In the castle." Inuyasha pulled his sleeve away from Kagome and continued walking.

Miroku stepped up beside the girl. "Let's just follow him and find out what's going on, shall we? Wait until we get there to ask questions."

Inuyasha led his friends into the castle and through to the guest wing. He brought them to a dining room and sat at the head of the table. Sesshomaru, who was sitting before one of the windows looking out at the garden, frowned. "Is this why you made me wait in here for you?"

"Just shut up." Inuyasha motioned for his friends to sit. The table was piled high with food, still steaming from being cooked. "Eat." He filled his own plate and looked over his shoulder at his mate. "You too."

Sesshomaru let out an annoyed sigh and sat at the other end of the table, as far from the humans as he could get. But he did as he was told.

Miroku watched the exchange curiously. Sesshomaru seemed his usual cold self, but he was following Inuyasha's orders without question. Miroku turned his attention to the food. He wasn't about to turn down an offer of such a good meal.

"What's going on?" Kagome was watching the demon Lord cautiously.

"Just eat. I'll explain after lunch."

Kagome tried to argue again, but Miroku gave her a warning look and she just did as asked.

The food was wonderful, if the company a little strange. After servants had come to clear the table, Miroku turned to his friend. "Are you ready to tell everyone now?"

Kagome glared at the monk. "You know what's going on? And you didn't tell us?"

"I promised I wouldn't. I never break a promise to a friend unless it could mean death to not reveal information. Let Inuyasha tell you himself."

Inuyasha took a deep breath. "Sesshomaru and I are mated." He held up a hand when Kagome opened her mouth. "Just shut up and listen to me." He explained what happened in the forest the day they had mated. "I hadn't really meant to do it. But it happened."

"Are you going to continue to travel with us?" Miroku got to the heart of the matter.

"Until the shards are found and Naraku is defeated, yes." He waved a hand and a servant stepped forward and placed a small wooden box on the table before him. "These should help." He opened the box, revealing over a dozen jewel shards.

Kagome paled. "I didn't even sense those."

"The box has some kind of ward on it that makes it impossible to sense what's inside." He passed the box to Kagome. "You can keep the shards in there from now on. It should help keep demons from being attracted to us because they can sense the jewels."

Sango was staring at Sesshomaru, who had moved back to sit by the window behind Inuyasha. "Can we get back to the fact that you mated Sesshomaru? What does that mean? Is he like your wife now?"

"Essentially." Inuyasha looked over his shoulder when Sesshomaru made an angry sound. "My husband, perhaps."

"I don't get why you would do that."

"I didn't do it on purpose. Sometimes my demon instincts drive me to do things I wouldn't normally do." He gave a soft warning growl when Sesshomaru made a derogatory noise. "Would you just go away now?"

Sesshomaru stood and smoothed his robe. "Gladly." He stopped and swallowed nervously when Inuyasha grabbed his wrist.

Inuyasha yanked Sesshomaru's face down to his. "I won't warn you twice. Stop being an asshole to my friends."

Sesshomaru nodded. "I'm sorry."

Inuyasha released his mate. "Apologize to them."

Sesshomaru straightened and sighed, resigned. "I apologize for being an asshole. May I go now?"

"Yes." Inuyasha watched the demon leave. "I'm going to stay here for a couple weeks. I've sent out scouts to investigate a few situations that may be jewel shard related. Until they return, I have some things I need to do here. Personal things. But I have one of my guards ready to escort you back to Kaede's village in the morning. She's a good person, doesn't have a problem with humans. And she's powerful. She'll keep you safe if something happens. But I can't leave here just yet."

"Because of Sesshomaru?" Miroku could feel a change in his friend but he was unsure what it was. He could also see the anger that had risen when he had disciplined Sesshomaru.

"No. This is something else. And not something I wish to discuss." Inuyasha stood. He waved and the guard near the door stepped forward. "This is Miki. She's the one that will escort you. She'll come to get you in the morning."

"We came out here to find more shards, Inuyasha. Why are we leaving so soon?" Kagome was sitting with her arms crossed, she was seriously pissed off.

"I just gave you a box full of them. You're leaving because I have some important stuff I need to do. I'll come to get you in a couple weeks when my scouts come back." He moved to leave the room and wasn't surprised when Kagome shouted for him to sit.

Eyes widened in shock. Inuyasha had jerked forward, but he hadn't been thrown into the ground as he usually was. "What the hell?" Kagome stood quickly and shouted the command again, with the same result.

Inuyasha grinned at her. "I'm not your fucking pet anymore." He let a corner of the cage he kept around his power crack. As he felt the power fill him, he reached up and pulled the seal over his head. He threw it at Kagome. He took a deep breath and pushed the power back in its box. "I'm the Lord of the Western Lands. I've grown too powerful for your pathetic seal to hold me." Inuyasha left the room quickly, going in search of his mate.

"What just happened? What does he mean that he's Lord?"

"Something's happened to Inuyasha in mating Sesshomaru. If he's Lord, it means he's grown more powerful than Sesshomaru." Miroku stood and approached the demon woman. He held out his hand. "I'm Miroku. This is Kagome, Sango, and Shippo. Glad to meet you. There wouldn't happen to be a hot spring we could use, is there?"

The woman nodded. "There is one in the guest wing, yes. There are guards posted in the halls. I would suggest you not try to leave the wing. Lord Inuyasha has ordered us to restrict your movements within the castle. But everything you need can be found here."

"Excellent. Could you show me where the hot spring is?"


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

"What did you mean when you said that my demon power was burning away my human blood?" Inuyasha was pacing Riko's workroom.

"When you completely released your power, your human blood was completely overwhelmed. You became a demon, Inuyasha. You're ears changed, your markings appeared, your eyes changed. Your very scent changed. I could feel that your human blood was literally being burned away. Have you not noticed a change in yourself since it happened?"

"I'm stronger. The seal I was wearing didn't work anymore. I was able to take it off easily by letting out a little of my power."

"Yes. Because part of your human blood has died. You are less human than you were before. If you released your power and left it out, your human blood would completely be burned away."

"How is that possible?" Inuyasha stopped and turned to look at the smaller demon.

"I don't know. I've never heard of it happening before. If I hadn't been present to witness it, I wouldn't have believed it possible. You are very, very powerful, my Lord. You are more powerful than Lord Sesshomaru. When you reach full maturity, you will be more powerful than your father was."

"How is that possible, Riko? I'm half human."

"Your human blood does not determine the power of your demon blood. Your demon blood is so powerful that it will kill your human blood if you allow it to happen."

"So I could be a full demon? No one would challenge my authority as Lord and my children wouldn't grow up with the shame of having a hanyo for a father."

"My Lord, no one will challenge you either way. You are more powerful than Sesshomaru and many fear him. And your children will never be ashamed of you."

"I want to do it. But not yet."

"Yes, my Lord. It would be wise for you to gain control of your power before you make the change."

"Right. Let's work on that. I'm stronger when I let more power out. I want to learn how to do that without being overwhelmed. I want to be able to control it."

Riko hopped off of his stool. "Follow me." Inuyasha followed him into another room. It was much smaller, being just large enough for there to be some pillows and cushions on the floor. He sat on one and gestured for Inuyasha to join him. "Sit. Find a relaxing position and close your eyes."

"Are you going to tell me to meditate?" Inuyasha sat and lounged back into a pile of pillows.

"No, my Lord. But it is easier to concentrate on yourself when you are comfortable. Close your eyes."

Inuyasha did as he was told. He followed the quiet instructions and soon he was using tendrils of his power to explore the castle. Through concentrating on his power, he could see and feel through those tendrils of power. He found Sango and Kagome in the small hot spring in the guest wing. He found Miroku and Shippo in the dining room taking to Miki.

Sesshomaru looked up from reading a petition scroll. His face furrowed in confusion. He thought he had felt Inuyasha come into the room. He felt very close. He turned back to his work, ignoring the strange feeling.

Inuyasha moved his power under the desk Sesshomaru sat behind.

Sesshomaru jumped when he felt something touch his leg. "Inuyasha?" It was his power. He could feel it now. The power pulled his robe open and the touch moved up his leg. "Stop." He moved back some. While the touch felt good, he didn't want Inuyasha to hurt him again because he had allowed it to touch him. "I'm his. Not yours."

Inuyasha growled in frustration. "Riko, go tell Sesshomaru that this is me."

Riko left the room quickly. He found Sesshomaru in his office, backing away from his desk until his back hit a wall. "My Lord, Lord Inuyasha has asked me to inform you that he is controlling his power. We are working together on teaching him control."

Sesshomaru relaxed. "So he's doing this?" There were several tendrils now. They slid up his body now that he wasn't moving.

"Yes, my Lord." Riko bowed and left the room. He made his way back to Inuyasha. "Do you wish to continue?"

"In a moment." Inuyasha used his power to pull open his mates legs. A smaller tendril was gently stroking him to arousal. "I'm quite enjoying this."

"Do you wish to be alone?"

"You can stay. I'll be done soon enough." Inuyasha formed another tendril and used it to tease Sesshomaru's nipples. His mate was moaning now, his cock hard as he stroked it. He had another tendril rubbing against his opening. As Sesshomaru cried out, spurting onto the floor, Inuyasha thrust inside of him. He fucked his mate hard and fast with that piece of his power.

Sesshomaru moaned loudly as his legs were spread wide and the tendril inside of him swelled and moved faster. The one around his cock was sucking him in rhythm. He came again with a shout and tried to put a hand on the power around his cock to stop it, it was starting to hurt. But his hand met nothing but air. Inuyasha had control. Sesshomaru couldn't willingly touch the power. His hand was grabbed and pulled aside, pinned to the wall over his head. "Inuyasha. It hurts."

Inuyasha pulled the tendril away from Sesshomaru's cock. He didn't want to cause pain just then. He wanted Sesshomaru moaning in pleasure. He used the tendrils that had been stroking him to move up and tease his nipples. Sesshomaru moaned and twisted. Inuyasha fucked him until he had come twice more. When he was panting and whimpering and limp, Inuyasha pulled away from him. He watched his mate slump to the floor, shuddering and moaning.

Satisfied, Inuyasha pulled the power back to him. "Now what?"

Riko had been watching the young hanyo. He could feel that he was retracting his power. "You are doing very well. You learn fast."

"I'm getting better at controlling it. I can use the power how I want to use it." He opened his eyes and looked at the smaller demon. "It's getting easier."

"Yes, my Lord. You are gaining control very quickly. Would you like to work longer? We could try using larger amounts of your power."

"Not today." Inuyasha stood. "Tomorrow." He left the room and made his way to the office. Sesshomaru was still slumped against the wall. Inuyasha pulled him up and threw him onto the desk, face-down. He thrust himself into him, causing Sesshomaru to cry out. "Such a whore. You moan so beautifully."

Sesshomaru groaned. Inuyasha was being rough. He gripped the side of the desk. "Only for you."

Inuyasha growled in satisfaction. "It better only ever be for me. Your body is mine." Inuyasha came with a shout. He bent over his mate and bit the scar of his mating mark. As blood filled his mouth, he started to move again. He kept Sesshomaru pinned to the desk for the next hour and used him until his body was satiated. Inuyasha sat back with a sigh of pleasure and watched Sesshomaru slide into an exhausted pile on the floor. He pushed his mate's hair out of his face so he could see his eyes. "You belong to me. Say it."

"I belong to you." And he did. Mind, body, and soul.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Inuyasha woke to a hand wandering his body. When a tongue flicked over his nipple, he opened his eyes. "What are you doing?"

Sesshomaru looked up at him. "Pleasuring my mate." He bent his head and licked his way down Inuyasha's body. He rolled his eyes up again and he ran his tongue up his mate's length.

Closing his eyes, Inuyasha moaned. He slid his hands into Sesshomaru hair as his mouth opened and he started to suck him. It was the first time they had done this. Sesshomaru's mouth was hot and wet. His tongue swept over him with each stroke. His hand was rolling his balls. Inuyasha tightened his grip and made him move faster.

Sesshomaru relaxed and let Inuyasha use him how he wanted. When his back arched, he opened his throat and swallowed every drop he was given. He pulled away slowly when Inuyasha released him. He laid his cheek on his thigh and looked up at him. "Did I please you?"

"Yeh. That was great." Inuyasha sat up and pushed him away. "What brought that on?"

"I don't know." Sesshomaru stayed where he was. He was almost painfully aroused, but Inuyasha got angry when he tried to initiate sex. He had learned that quickly over the last few days. "Is it okay? That I do that?"

"I guess." Inuyasha looked down at where Sesshomaru lay. "But don't make a habit of it." He reached down and gripped Sesshomaru's cock. He stroked it slowly. Sesshomaru moaned softly. "I think you just want me to fuck you, so you're doing whatever you can to arouse me."

"I just wanted to please you." He gasped when Inuyasha stroked him harder.

Inuyasha let go of his mate and stood. He pulled on his robe and left the room.

Sesshomaru groaned and rolled onto his belly. He rubbed himself against the blankets. Inuyasha had forbidden him from touching himself. But he had been so close when Inuyasha had released him. He kept moving his hips and was able to finish. But it was weak compared to what happened when Inuyasha was touching him. And the release left him unsatisfied.

Inuyasha smirked when he felt the Sesshomaru's frustration. He had discovered that if he left his mate wanting, the sex later was more intense. Sesshomaru would moan louder and come easier. He found Riko where he always found him in the mornings, in his bedroom fucking the maid. The girl squealed while the small demon pounded into her. Inuyasha waited until they finished and the girl had left. "How can you stand that sound? I would gag Sesshomaru if he made a noise like that."

"My Lord, half the castle knows when you are pleasuring your mate. His cries echo though the halls." Riko cleaned himself and pulled on his clothes. "What did you wish to work on today?"

"I want to try letting half of the power out. I want to see how it effects how I use my sword."

Riko nodded thoughtfully. "We should leave the castle to do that. The sword is quite destructive."

"I want to know if using more of my power will affect how the sword responds to me. If it will still work for me."

"The sword worked just fine for your father. It works because you have a genuine desire to help others, especially the humans under your protection." Riko guided Inuyasha through the castle and they left through the smaller north gate. They went into the forest and Riko stopped in an open area where the castle often harvested firewood. "Is this satisfactory, my Lord?"

"Yeh it will do." Inuyasha sat and concentrated on the cage around his power. "How do I open the cage enough to only let half of the power out? So far I've just been cracking it open for small amount of power."

"Your power is you. The power is a part of you. You are doing very well in learning complete control. Split the cage in half."

Inuyasha pictured the cage dividing down the middle. It happened easily. "I did it."

"Good. Now just open one of the halves."

Inuyasha did. Power roared through him. It tried to take over, but he had been working with Riko for over a week now and he knew how to keep the power from controlling his mind. He waited until it settled through him, a hum he felt just under his skin. "Does it always feel like this? The tingling under the skin?"

"While you are learning to control it, yes. When you're young, your power is contained. As you age, more of it will come out and you learn to keep it contained unless you want to release it. At your current age, you learn complete control. At the rate you are going, it will take you less than a year until you and your power are completely one. After that, there will be no reason to contain it because it is just another part of you, completely under your control. Like an arm or a leg."

"I'm going to try using my sword."

"Yes, my Lord." Riko stood and moved so he was standing behind Inuyasha.

Inuyasha drew his sword. It felt lighter. When he had had the sword repaired with his own fang, the sword had become heavy. He had worked to gain control of the sword again but it was still heavy. Now, it felt as light as wielding a feather. The wind scar came quickly and the sword obeyed his every move. He sheathed the sword again and looked around at the destruction. The wind scar had done more damage than it had ever done. He scratched his head while he pulled his power back into its cage. "Opps."

Riko grinned. "Very well done. I'll send some men out to gather the wood. The villages nearby will be happy for the lumber if you share it around."

"Yeh. Yeh, let's do that. Don't let it go to waste."

"A wise decision. It will be done." Riko followed the hanyo as he made his way back to the castle.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Sesshomaru had fallen asleep again after Inuyasha had left. He woke again to find himself alone. He pulled on his robe and went to find some food. He passed his office and paused, stepping back, when he saw something from the corner of his eye. Inuyasha was sitting behind the desk, sorting through petitions. "Were you bored?"

Inuyasha looked up to find Sesshomaru in the doorway. "Pretty much. It needs to be done. I'm Lord now so I might as well help with the petitions." He set another aside and looked up at Sesshomaru. "How do I go about sending lumber to some villages?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I just tore a hole through the forest. Riko sent men out to collect the fallen trees."

"I see." Sesshomaru walked to one of the shelves and pulled out a bound book. He set it in front of his mate. "Requests for lumber from village mayors."

"You have a whole book of them?" He thumbed through the book, there were many pages that had a red paint X over them. "The marked ones have been fulfilled?"

"Yes. The new ones are in the back."

Inuyasha turned to them. There were only five open requests. "How do I get the lumber to them?"

"Write out a scroll for each village detailing how much lumber you are sending them. I usually send a little more than requested so they have some spare. You will send a servant out with a lumber cart, or carts, with the scroll. They will sign that delivery was made. Those scrolls go into another book."

"What's in all these books?" Inuyasha looked at the careful row of books on the shelf. There were a dozen of them.

"Requests for lumber, rice, and livestock and the books for the records of delivery. Tax records. Records of payments to the farms that supply the castle. The boxes holding the petitions that have been taken care of and the records of decisions made and carried out are in a room in the basement. I keep the original petitions for 10 years, the decision records for 20. Then they are burned. The records in here, when a book is filled, a new one is started and the old one goes into the record room in the basement. Those are kept for 20 years as well."

"You keep really good records."

"I learned it from father. I haven't changed things much since he died. He kept the people happy. I try to do the same."

"As will I." He looked up at his mate. "I'll need you to teach me."

"I will. Gladly. I don't want to be Lord."

"I know. I'll probably still have you doing some of the work with the petitions. It's boring. But I have nothing better to do right now while I wait for the scouts to return."

"They will be back in a few days." Sesshomaru was nervous. He didn't really want Inuyasha to leave. But he would need to. "How long will you be gone, when you go?"

Inuyasha looked up. Sesshomaru got very nervous and his fear rose when they discussed his leaving. "I don't know. It depends on how long it takes to do what we need to do. But I've gotten stronger working with Riko. I think things will go quickly. You could always come with me."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I don't like the humans. They make me uncomfortable."

Inuyasha shrugged and turned his attention back to the work. "So stay here. Go eat." Inuyasha spent the next two hours sorting through the petitions and filling out the scroll of decisions for the minor ones. He had set a few scrolls aside for further investigation and took them with him when he went to find Sesshomaru. He found him in their bedroom, looking out at the garden. "I have a couple questions." When Sesshomaru turned to look at him he held up the scrolls. "I'm not sure if these problems are simply bandits or if they could be demons." He handed them to his mate.

Sesshomaru looked at the petitions. "No way to know. An investigator scout will need to be sent." He handed the scrolls back to his mate. "Are you finished?"

"For today." Inuyasha left the room and put the scrolls in the right pile. Sesshomaru had followed him. "Did you want something?"

"Did you ask Riko to put a marker at the grave?"

"Yes. Why? Is it finished?"

"It was there when I looked out. Why did you do it?"

Inuyasha turned to look at his mate. He could feel the pain welling in him. He took him into his arms and his head fell to his shoulder. "Because it was my fault. And it deserves a proper grave. Will you come with me to see it?" Sesshomaru stiffened. "I won't force you. But I would like you to come with me to light some incense."

"I don't know if I can." Sesshomaru voice was muffled against his mate's neck.

"I won't force you." He kissed the side of Sesshomaru's head. "Try to stay calm. I know it hurts. I can feel your pain. But we need to move past it. Think about the next one. This time next year, you will be half way to having our child. You will be getting round and feeling it kick. Think about that, okay?"

"Promise me."

"I promise. I swear. It will happen." Sesshomaru nodded against his neck. "If you won't go with me, will you watch from the window?"

Sesshomaru thought for a moment. "Only if you promise to come in and hold me once it's done."

"I can do that."

The sun was setting when Inuyasha made his way out to the cherry tree. The headstone had been placed in a way that it could be read by someone leaning against the tree. Riko must have been watching him. He went out at least once a day to sit there. For some reason, it calmed it. It reminded him of the mistakes he made when he let his anger control him.

The marker was made of stone, the child's name carved into it. It was simple, but it was exactly what he had wanted. He never wanted to forget the death he had caused. The death of his own child. He never wanted to forget that his anger had turned him into something he hated. Life had been easier since he had decided to listen more to his instincts. He still got angry occasionally, but that was usually caused by something annoying that Sesshomaru did. When he listened to his instincts and corrected the behavior that angered him, Sesshomaru listened, apologized, and didn't do it again. They were learning to live together and work together.

And it all happened because of the mistake Inuyasha had made. While he allowed himself to grieve for the life lost, the result of that loss was that he was calmer and surer of himself than he had ever been before.

Inuyasha looked up when he heard the scuff of footsteps. Sesshomaru stood on the other side of the marker. He held his arms open. "Come here." Sesshomaru fell into his arms, curling into his lap, his head on his shoulder, face against his neck. "I'm glad you're here."

"I don't know why I came out."

"That's okay." Inuyasha sat up and worked around Sesshomaru so he could light the incense he had set in the marker. When the smoke started to curl into the slight breeze, he scooted back to lean against the tree and just held his mate.

Sesshomaru turned to look at the marker. He swallowed thickly. "Ichiko. You chose to name it our first born?"

"Yes. It felt right." Sesshomaru turned against him again and began to cry. Inuyasha let the cage around his power crack open so he could wrap his mate in a thick blanket of his power. He filled it with warmth and comfort and just rocked him while he cried.

When he had calmed, Sesshomaru sighed. "You're getting good at that."

"I have a good teacher. And I have good reasons to learn control. One of which is taking care of my mate. I don't like feeling your pain."

"It's getting better. Especially knowing that you're going to allow me to have a child."

"Yeh, well. You can have as many as you like, as long as you stay happy. I don't like you being unhappy. It aggravates my demon and makes me uncomfortable. It's easier and less annoying to just let you be happy. Even if I do hate you." Inuyasha frowned when he felt a spike of pain and sorrow from Sesshomaru when he said those words. "Why does that make you sad?"

"It's my own fault that you hate me."

"You've treated me like garbage my whole life."

"I was afraid of you."

"Why? What did I ever do to make you scared of me? You're the one that used to terrify me when I was a child."

"I was afraid of you because even when you were little you were powerful. I knew that by the time you matured sexually, you would be more powerful them I am. And I was afraid that you would mate me. When you were about 10 or 12, that's when I really started seeking out a mate. I wanted to find one before you matured."

"Why?"

"Because I didn't think a hanyo would make a good Lord." He cowered when Inuyasha grew angry. "I was wrong. You're better at it than I am. You're so much like father." He started crying again. This time because it was the first time he really allowed himself to feel the pain of losing his father.

Inuyasha's anger fizzled when Sesshomaru began crying again. He was feeling a different type of pain now. The pain of losing a protector. The pain of fear. And the relief of finally not being afraid anymore. "You're mine now. You don't need to be afraid of anything because I'll protect you."

"You still scare me."

"Good. I like you afraid of me. But I'm the only thing you should be afraid of. I'll destroy anything or anyone that hurts you. You belong to me. And no one hurts what's mine."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Inuyasha stood in the office reading the reports from the last of the scouts that had returned. Two of the situations he had had investigated were caused by demons. The scout reports told him where the demons were.

Sesshomaru sat behind the desk, watching his mate pace. "Please don't go."

"I have to. You know that." Inuyasha read the report again. The situation on the coast was caused by a shark demon. He was living in a cave on the coast not far from a village. The demon had already stolen two children from the village. The scout didn't know why the demon had stolen the children. Nor did he know if they were still alive. "I need to take care of this one. I sent one of the assassins to handle the other situation."

"I don't want you to go."

Inuyasha turned to look at his mate. "I don't want to hear it, Sesshomaru. I know you don't want to be alone, but you know that there will be times when I need to go handle things myself to keep our lands safe. The scout says that he can sense a jewel shard on this shark demon. I have to go."

"Will you bring the humans?"

"Yes. Kagome will need to cleanse the shard and put it in that box. The village isn't that far out of the way. I told them I would go get them. I keep my promises to my friends."

Sesshomaru put his head down on his arm. He didn't like the way he felt when he thought about being left alone. "I wish you would stay."

"If you don't want to be alone, come with me. You don't need to interact with my friends." Inuyasha rolled the scroll up and tucked it into his sleeve. "I'm leaving. Are you coming?"

Sesshomaru turned his head to look at his mate. "I don't have to talk to them?"

"No. You don't. I won't make you talk to them. But don't be an asshole."

"What do I do if they pester me?"

"I'll tell them to ignore you. Would that help? You can just follow us around and I'll hold you at night. I'll tell them to just pretend you aren't there."

"Okay. I need to get dressed."

"So hurry up and get dressed. I'm going to go get some supplies. Meet me at the gates when you're ready." Inuyasha left the office. Sesshomaru was annoying him. He was being clingy and needy and he wasn't sure he liked it. Sesshomaru had taken to following him around the castle and would sit near a window or in a corner of any room he spent time in over the last week. It had grown annoying. Several times it made him angry, like when he followed him to his lessons with Riko, and he had yelled at him to go away. And Sesshomaru had gone away, feeling sad and hurt. But he was leaving the castle now. He didn't like that Sesshomaru felt panicky about it. He would see how he acted coming with him. If he were an asshole or kept being so damn clingy, he would send him home.

Inuyasha went to the kitchen and had the cooks put together a bag for him with simple things he could cook. They gave him a bag of rice and some fresh vegetables, a pot to cook in and bowls. He also went to find a maid to get him some blankets. Sesshomaru tended to wrap himself up like a bug in a cocoon at night. He found it strangely endearing.

Sesshomaru was standing at the gate speaking to a group of village people that had gathered when they saw him. Inuyasha stopped beside him. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." Sesshomaru was pleased to see that Inuyasha was still dressed in his silks. He looked very handsome in the white and red. Very much like the Lord he now was. "I was telling the villagers that my mate is the Lord now."

Inuyasha nodded to the people. "Hello. I'm sorry I haven't been to the village to introduce myself, but I've been busy. I promise I'll come into the village to meet you properly when I return. If you have any concerns, feel free to visit my steward and he will bring them to me when I return." He bowed to the people. "Come on." He took Sesshomaru's arm and they moved off the road to cut through the forest. It was faster and they could avoid traveling through the villages, where more scenes like that were likely to happen. "Does that happen a lot?"

"They like to say hello when they see me. You handled that very well. I'm proud of you."

Inuyasha frowned. "I didn't do it to make you proud. I said those things because I meant them. That village supplies the castle. They deserved to be greeted and thanked for their hard work."

Sesshomaru smiled as he followed his mate. "I'm still proud of you. You remind me more and more of father every day."

Inuyasha didn't know how to respond to that. He was proud that things he did reminded people, especially his mate, of his father. Inu no Taisho had been a great man. He had been well loved by all of his people and well respected by the demon Lords and the demon counsel. "Thank you."

"Would you like me to summon a cloud? We could travel faster."

Inuyasha stopped and looked at his mate. "Alright." Sesshomaru summoned his cloud and he stepped onto it. They rose above the trees and began the trip to the village. Inuyasha sat and set his bag in his lap. "How long will it take to get there this way?"

"About 6 hours. Much quicker than by foot." He increased the speed and sat beside Inuyasha. "Can I see the report?"

Inuyasha took the scroll from his sleeve and handed it to the demon. "It seems simple enough. Kill the demon and see if the missing children are alive."

Sesshomaru read the scroll. "Ah. I know this demon."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. "And?"

"I gave him permission to live where he does. But he's always been peaceful. He's a shark so he swims and catches fish for food. He's never bothered the nearby fishing village. He's certainly never taken children. He was very young when he began living there. His parents had been killed by another demon and he was alone. It's an isolated location so I thought it would be good for him. If he has turned dangerous, it will be because of the jewel shard." He rolled up the scroll and handed it back to Inuyasha. "I'm saddened that this has happened to him. I would ask that you please try to get the jewel without killing him. I know that some demons have broken out of the effect of the jewel if it is removed from them."

"I'll try, Sesshomaru. But I can't promise anything. Especially since he has taken children."

"I understand. I can only ask that you try." He leaned against his mate. "Your friends don't like me."

Inuyasha made a rude noise. "You've tried to kill me and them on multiple occasions. Of course they don't like you."

"I don't really care that they don't like me. I just want them to leave me alone."

"Like I said, I'll tell them to ignore you." Inuyasha pulled Sesshomaru down so his head was in his lap. "Just ignore them as well."

"Should I hunt for you? While you're busy traveling with them. I could go ahead some and bring you meat for your meals."

"That would be helpful. We could travel longer if we didn't need to waste time hunting." Inuyasha's hand wandered down and he traced his fingers over the swell of Sesshomaru's ass. He realized that they hadn't had sex that morning. He had been woken by a guard telling him that the scout had returned. He usually woke up and spent time finding his pleasure in his mate. The gentle touch had already aroused Sesshomaru. He was so easy to arouse. Inuyasha would often send a tendril of his power out to tease him while he was working with Riko. A few gentle strokes of his cock or touches against his hole and he was quickly aroused. Inuyasha would arouse him and leave, enjoying the feeling of sexual frustration he left behind. Since he had been working with Riko, he had used his power to fuck his mate only twice. He found a great deal of pleasure in doing so, but he had been working hard on other parts of his control.

In working with releasing and controlling his power, Inuyasha had gained enough control of his demon that a quarter of his power was always free now. And he had complete, flawless control over it. Riko had been right. The demon was him. They were one and the same.

Having so much of his power constantly humming through him meant that there were several changes in him. He was stronger and faster. He had even grown taller, now being taller than his mate. The demon marking on his face were always visible, though not as bright as they were when his full power was released. He also had marking on his body that he hadn't known existed. They had always been covered by his clothing whenever he had used his power. Sesshomaru had pointed them out the night that Inuyasha had first returned from his lessons after settling into his new, stable power levels. He had marking on his shoulders that started on his chest and wrapped over his shoulders and stopped under his shoulder blades. He had marks that wrapped over his hip bones. And another that wrapped around his thighs. They were the same purple as his facial markings and Sesshomaru said that their father had had the same ones, in the same places. Sesshomaru said it was amazing how much more he looked like their father with each lesson he had. He had pulled Inuyasha's hair back into the same style their father wore his in and made him look in a mirror while standing beside a painting of the great demon Lord. Inuyasha has taken his hair down as soon as he looked at himself. Except for the fuzzy ears, he looked exactly like his father. He wasn't sure yet how he felt about it.

In gaining control, Inuyasha was also surer of himself. In gaining control of his demon, he was gaining control of himself. He was sure in his choices, no longer second guessing himself. He was sure in his actions with his mate, no longer angry with his demon instincts telling him to care for Sesshomaru. He had an easy way of speaking to the guards and servants at the castle. They obeyed him not only because he was now the Lord, but because he was sure of himself and his voice held the power of his demon blood. He wasn't just Lord in name. He was Lord in action. He was commanding, yet fair. He was strict, yet gentle. One of the maids had cut herself while cleaning the guest rooms after his friends had left. Inuyasha found her crying and clutching her bloody hand. She had started to apologize for bleeding on the blankets, but Inuyasha tore one up so he could bind the cut and carried her to Riko for help. He had then went back and cleaned up the mess himself.

The guards and servants of the castle accepted him completely and were starting to get to know their new Lord. They spent time with him when they could, introducing themselves and talking when they had free time and Inuyasha was available. They all enjoyed his company. He was brash and rude at times, but he was also playful and humorous. He enjoyed sparring with the guards and learning new hand to hand combat moves. A few of the guards were even teaching him to fight with different weapons. Inuyasha had discovered that he had a skill with throwing daggers. He now had a sheath of them strapped around his wrist.

Sesshomaru had taken Inuyasha into their father's dressing room and found his old armor. They had had it cleaned and Inuyasha had tried it on. It fit him perfectly. He now wore that armor. The body armor, shoulder plates, and bracers made him look powerful. Worn over the silk clothing made him look like a true daiyokai. Only the ears ruined the image. But Inuyasha had spoken to Sesshomaru about the fact that his demon blood would burn away the human in him when he let his full power loose. Inuyasha wanted to do it. But he needed to gain full control first. He told Sesshomaru that he wanted it done before his mate's next heat. He wanted to be fully demon when he fathered their child.

Sesshomaru moaned softly when Inuyasha let out a thin tendril of his power and it made its way inside of him. Another wrapped around his cock and stroked him. Sesshomaru turned over and put his hand under Inuyasha's armor to rub against the swelling under his clothes. "I want you."

Inuyasha unhooked the armor and set it aside. "Get into my lap."

Sesshomaru obeyed. He sat in his mates lap, his back against Inuyasha's chest. The tendrils of his power were still working him. He lifted himself when Inuyasha pulled his clothes down. Moaning, he pressed his hips back when Inuyasha pressed his cock against him. He shuddered in pleasure when it entered him. The tendrils of his power felt good, but his cock felt so much better. "Fuck me."

Inuyasha bent Sesshomaru forward onto his knees and started to pound into him. It was an interesting experience, fucking his mate while flying on a cloud. The wind pushed against him, wrapping around his skin and heightening sensations.

Sesshomaru was gripping his own hair, holding it over his head, to keep it from flying into Inuyasha's face. Inuyasha pulled his power back and wrapped a hand around him, stroking firmly. Sesshomaru cried out as he came. Inuyasha's didn't usually touch him there and it felt amazing when he did. He marveled every day at how amazing the sex with Inuyasha was. His cock was huge, both long and thick. It touched places deep inside of him that had never been touched before. Inches of his cock rubbed against that spot inside and made his body tremble in ecstasy.

Sesshomaru had had many lovers. When he matured sexually, he had started ordering the guards to fuck him whenever he was horny. His father, finally getting fed up with his son distracting the guards while they were on duty, had several young demons from powerful clans come to the castle to be his lovers. They had remained at the castle for 50 years. When he had fully matured and his first heat came, he almost killed all four of them when they tried to mate him. They were sent away. Now, being fully mature, Sesshomaru didn't have as strong of a sex drive as he once did. His body was waiting for a mate. He still occasionally needed something, so he used the guards and servants again. But it was rare now, perhaps two or three times a year as opposed to two or three times a day as it had been when he first reached sexual maturity.

After his father had died and he had become Lord, he decided to only have one man that he went to when he needed sexual release. That man had been Riko. He may have been small, but he had been a wonderful lover. Neither of them had informed Inuyasha of this. They were both afraid of what the powerful hanyo would do with the information. They might tell him one day, but it wasn't important for him to know. Riko was not only the castle healer, he was also the midwife. He was one of only a handful of healers that knew how to care for an uke. Inu no Taisho had hired the small usagi as soon as he learned that his son was an uke. He was one of the only people that Sesshomaru trusted.

Inuyasha changed the angle and Sesshomaru began to cry out with each thrust. Riko had been right, Sesshomaru was really loud. He could hear his cries echoing off the trees below. He sped up, wanting to finish before they flew over a populated area. He didn't want anyone hearing his mate's cries of pleasure. It was one thing for the guards and servants to hear them, they were paid for their silence and discretion and knew better than to have thoughts they shouldn't have. But Inuyasha didn't, at all, like the idea of anyone else hearing his mate's pleasure. He had his release and sat back, enjoying the view of Sesshomaru bare ass and stretched, dripping hole.

Sesshomaru was trembling. He had been so close to coming again. He reached down and touched himself and Inuyasha made an angry noise. He stopped and whimpered softly. It was painful, being so close and having the pleasure stopped.

Inuyasha made a noise of annoyance. He flipped Sesshomaru over onto his back and pulled his hips up onto his lap. He thrust into him again and moved slowly. Sesshomaru panted and moaned, his head tossing, his body shuddering with each thrust. "Come for me." Inuyasha ran a finger up Sesshomaru's short length. The gentle touch was enough, Sesshomaru cried out and came, spurting onto his belly. Inuyasha stopped moving, just sitting with his cock inside of his mate.

Sesshomaru rolled his hips. Inuyasha growled a warning. He stopped and tilted his head so he could see his mate. He was looking out at the scenery before them as his hands gently stroked his thighs. Sesshomaru whimpered softly. Inuyasha growled again. "What are you doing?"

"Just hold still and shut up." He shifted into a more comfortable position and Sesshomaru moaned softly as he moved inside of him. He pulled Sesshomaru's hips tight against him so that he was fully buried inside of his mate.

Frustrated, Sesshomaru watched the sky, trying to distract himself. He was stretched wide with Inuyasha so far inside of him. He could feel Inuyasha's cock throbbing with his heartbeat. His own cock was still hard, arching and dripping onto his belly. He had no idea what Inuyasha was doing. But it was frustrating and uncomfortable. His legs were wrapped around his mate, his hips and lower back in his lap, his shoulders and head cradled by the cloud. He was holding his hair above his head again, annoyed by it flying around in the wind. "Inuyasha. Please."

"Don't make me tell you to be quiet again, Sesshomaru. I'm trying to concentrate. I want to try something. Just shut up and hold still." Inuyasha closed his eyes and felt around his caged power. With Riko's direction, he had split the cage into four pieces. One was open, the door gone. This was the piece of his power that he had tamed and become one with. If he focused on it, he could feel it humming just below his skin. He had been working with Riko to release more of his power. Because he could use the power outside of his body, Riko had been setting up puzzles and blocks and things in separate rooms and had him focusing on solving the puzzles and completing small tasks using his power. It was teaching him to become one with the power because doing the tasks took a lot more concentration and control than it did when he touched his mate with this tendrils. Right now, Inuyasha wanted to try something. He opened two more of the cages.

Sesshomaru gasped as he felt Inuyasha release a huge amount of his power. It rushed over his skin. Inuyasha's cock swelled inside of him, growing longer and thicker. Sesshomaru moaned as his ass burned from the increased size of his mate's cock. "Oh, Kami." He wrapped his hand in his hair so he had something to hold onto.

Inuyasha fought to settle the power. It wanted to ravage his mate. But he wasn't going to let it. It was going to obey him if it wanted to play. With his eyes closed, he directed a piece of his power to tie Sesshomaru's obi around his face to muffle his cries. That done, he allowed that piece to caress to mates body, licking his nipples slowly but firmly. Sesshomaru's back arched, his moan muffled. Sesshomaru's nipples were very sensitive. He directed another piece of his power to gather Sesshomaru's hair, wrapping around it and holding it so it didn't float around. Another piece wrapped around Sesshomaru's wrist pulled his arm over his head, stretching his body.

"Inuyasha." His voice was muffled but the word was clear. Sesshomaru hissed as a piece of Inuyasha power whipped across his belly.

"Shut. Up." Inuyasha directed his power to wrap around Sesshomaru knees, pulling his legs up and out, spreading him wide. Inuyasha's hands ran up the inside of Sesshomaru's thighs. He brushed his thumbs over his balls, causing them to draw up. He rolled the delicate eggs under his thumbs. They were so small, about the size of the pad of Inuyasha's thumb. He had made some mention of it to Riko and had been informed that uke's always had very small male organs. Because they were never actually used, they didn't grow along with the rest of the uke's body. The penis was only a few inches long, the balls the size of grapes. He was able to get an erection and ejaculate, but he didn't produce seed. Even if he had been interested in having sex with a female, he couldn't father a child. Inuyasha found that he enjoyed playing with the small organs. He loved the sounds Sesshomaru made. And he loved the fear that filled his mate any time he touched those delicate bits. Sesshomaru was afraid that Inuyasha would hurt him. Because he had, more than once. When he needed to correct Sesshomaru's behavior, he would punish him in different ways. More than once, he had punished him by hurting those delicate bits. He would pull, or hit. Once he had used a claw to scratch. So now, anytime Inuyasha touched those bits after he had had to give him any sort of discipline, including warnings, Sesshomaru was filled with fear. The fear was like an aphrodisiac to Inuyasha. It made his cock throb with desire.

Inuyasha moved his hands to Sesshomaru hips and started to move. The obi muffled Sesshomaru's cried. Sesshomaru had grown very tight. He moved slowly, moving every inch of his cock in and out of that tight hole. Sesshomaru moaned and panted, his body trembling. Inuyasha let his power touch his mate. Small tendrils played with his cock, stroking it slowly. Another wrapped around his balls and rolled then gently. Other tendrils covered his body like vines and licked, sucked, bit, caressed, and teased almost every inch of his body.

Sesshomaru's eyes rolled back in his head. He was drowning in sensation. His whole body was being touched all at once. It was almost too much. But it felt so incredible.

Inuyasha had a wicked though. He directed a very thin tendril to play with the slit in Sesshomaru's cock. The soft touch had Sesshomaru's back arching, his hips jerking, as he came. The tendril continued to tease the sensitive slit. Inuyasha lifted himself up enough that he could start to really fuck his mate. As his hips pumped, the sound of flesh on flesh loud, he directed that tiny tendril to go into the slit. Sesshomaru cried out and Inuyasha could feel nothing but absolute pleasure coming from him. As his hips pumped, he had that tendril fuck the slit of his mate's cock.

Sesshomaru screamed as he came. He felt the fluid burst past Inuyasha's power. But the assault didn't stop. The tendril thickened slightly and went in further. It was now completely inside of his cock, all the way down to the root inside of his body. It was fucking that tight hole with short thrusts. He screamed as he came again. Something about being touched in that place made the orgasms more powerful than anything he had ever felt before.

Inuyasha had another tendril of his power wrap around his own cock. He had it throb and vibrate against that spot inside of his mate. After Sesshomaru had come three more times, each time his scream getting louder, Inuyasha let go of his control and let himself come. He felt himself pump a huge load deep in his mate's bowels. As his cock continued to throb, his orgasm lasting longer than it ever had, he slowly drew his power back. It went willingly, having enjoyed brining his mate pleasure. He locked the cages and felt his cock begin to deflate. As he slid out of his mate he rolled him off of himself so he was curled on his side beside him. Inuyasha lay down next to him and watched the sky.

Sesshomaru pulled the obi from his face. "May I speak?"

"Yeh." Inuyasha felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. Every muscle was loose and body was completely satisfied.

"That was amazing." Sesshomaru rolled onto his back. It was all he could do. His body felt paralyzed. "Please do that again sometime."

"Best sex ever." He made the decision to let his power out more often while he fucked his mate if it felt like that.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One

Sesshomaru landed the cloud at the edge of the village where Inuyasha's friends waited. "May I wait here?"

"Yes." Inuyasha took Sesshomaru's face in his hands and gave him a gentle kiss. "Behave yourself. Hide in the trees if you don't want to be seen. I'll send my power to tell you when we're ready to leave."

"Thank you." Sesshomaru turned his face and kissed the palm of Inuyasha's hand. "Don't leave me alone for too long."

"I'll try not to. Why don't you go hunt? Try to find a boar or a deer."

"Alright."

Inuyasha kissed his mate again before turning and making his way to the village.

Sesshomaru watched Inuyasha go. He didn't like the feeling that filled him as he was left alone. He moved into the trees and went in search of something to kill.

Inuyasha found Sango in Kaede's hut, sharpening her weapon. "Hey. Where is everyone?"

Sango looked up and her eyes widened. "What happened to you?"

Inuyasha frowned. "What?" He looked down at himself. "The clothes? I'm Lord now, I need to look the part." He ran a hand lovingly over the plate on one of his shoulders. "The armor was my fathers. Sesshomaru said he wanted me to have it."

"I meant your face, Inuyasha."

Realization. "Ah. The markings. That will take a while to explain. So I'd rather tell everyone at once. Where is everyone?"

"Miroku is across the village doing a blessing on a new house. Kagome just returned through the well this morning. She's with Kaede attending a birth. Shippo is playing with the children of the woman giving birth to keep them distracted."

"Ah. So they will be a while?"

"I suppose. Depends on how long the woman labors. They have been with her for several hours. They should be back soon."

"I'm gonna walk around the village, see if anyone needs help with anything. Come find me when everyone's back." Inuyasha spend the next few hours talking to the villagers. They were all shocked at his new appearance. But they knew him well enough to know that he wasn't dangerous. He spent time talking to the people, learning that they were in need of new milk animals, cows or goats. They also needed some lumber. A few of the young men were ready to leave their family homes and build their own. But with the fields needing to be tended, they didn't really have anyone to spare to cut wood. Inuyasha promised to have lumber and some livestock sent to them soon. The villagers had been good to him. He would pay them back for their kindness. Shippo came to find him while he was speaking with a young man who was expecting his first child. He was making a mental note to be sure that the village had plenty of goats. Cows were large and took more feed. He would send a few cows, but he would send enough goats to ensure that every family with small children had one.

Kagome covered his mouth with her hands when Inuyasha entered Kaede's hut. "What happened to you?"

"It's a long story, sort of." He sat against the wall and took his shoulder plates off, setting them beside him. They were hard to relax in. While his friends stared at him, he explained about gaining control over his demon power. About how he was becoming one with it a piece at a time and how having more of his power under control, he was physically changing. "So it's normal. I've reached the age where I learn to tame my power. I have a good teacher. With his help I've been learning fast. I've got a quarter of my power fully released and tamed now."

"So that's why you have your markings?" Kagome looked pained. "The last time I saw those, you were struggling for control."

"Right. That doesn't happen anymore. Even if I let out all of my power, I'm able to hold onto it now and have decent control over it."

"It sounds like you're doing well, Inuyasha." Kaede stirred a large pot of soup. "So why is your mate waiting in the woods? He should be wanting to stay by your side."

"He does. But he doesn't really like being around humans. He asked to wait there. But I can feel him starting to panic. I might need to go fetch him soon." Inuyasha send out a tendril of his power. He found Sesshomaru huddled under a tree at the roadside, behind a bush, a dead boar at his side. He touched Sesshomaru's cheek and a tear slid down it. "I need to go get him. I'll be right back." Inuyasha was by Sesshomaru side in seconds, being able to run faster now. He wrapped Sesshomaru in his arms and sat with him in his lap. "Calm yourself."

"Don't leave me alone. Please. I don't want to be alone."

"Alright. I won't leave you alone. But that means you need to come with me. So calm yourself. Come with me and sit beside me. I'll tell the humans to ignore you. We'll cook the boar and have dinner."

"I don't want to talk to them."

"You don't have to talk to them. Just don't be an asshole. Ignore them. Don't make rude noises. Just sit silently."

"I can do that."

"Okay." Inuyasha stepped back, lifted the boar by its back legs with one hand, and took Sesshomaru trembling one in his other. "Calm yourself, please."

"I'm trying. I feel better now you're with me. I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Riko said it's because you don't have a child yet. Until you do, you won't leave my side. And you'll get scared when left alone."

"I didn't know that." Sesshomaru calmed a little while they walked down the road.

Inuyasha walked into the hurt first, pulling Sesshomaru in behind him, leading him to a corner near the door and pushing him down to sit. "Ignore him. He's just going to sit here." Inuyasha turned and help up the boar. "He got us some meat. It's been bled." He plopped the carcass on the old woman's table and moved to sit by his mate. He wasn't surprised when Sesshomaru scooted over slightly so their legs were touching.

"Thank you for the boar, Lord Sesshomaru." Kaede went about butchering the boar. She had quick, deft hands.

Sesshomaru gave her a stiff nod and leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. He leaned to the side slightly so he was leaning against his mate.

Inuyasha watched the others, they were all staring at Sesshomaru. "Seriously, guys. Ignore him. Don't talk to him. Stop staring at him. Pretend he isn't here." He could feel Sesshomaru's discomfort. He reached his power out and wrapped it like a blanket around his mate. He also pulled one of the blankets out of his bag and threw it over him.

Sesshomaru pulled the blanket up to his chin and relaxed his body, leaning against Inuyasha, and let his head fall to his shoulder.

"So. What did your scouts come back with?" Miroku had been sitting and patiently listening to Inuyasha. He choose to listen to him and ignore Sesshomaru.

"One of them seemed a simple nuisance demon. I sent out one of the castle assassins to take care of that one. But there's a pretty serious one that the scout sensed a jewel shard on. It's on the coast. A Shark demon that Sesshomaru says has lived in that location for quite a while and has been peaceful. He has now killed several livestock and kidnapped two of the village children. The scout doesn't know whether the children are still alive. But the demon lives in a cave on the coast. Sesshomaru has also asked that we try to take the jewel without killing the demon. It seems is was a good, peaceful being before finding this shard. We've seen demons revert to being their normal, peaceful self when a jewel shard had been removed from them."

"We can't guarantee anything. If the demon has harmed the children, the village will want justice." Miroku glanced curiously at the demon. He was asleep. His breathing deep, his mouth slightly open.

"He knows that. I don't want to kill him if we don't have to. If he returns to his peaceful self, I would like to relocate him. I don't want to kill a peaceful demon. We all know the effects the jewel shards have sometimes. He likely isn't going any of this knowingly. If he doesn't remember what he's done, he doesn't deserve to be punished."

"Wow. What happened to the old Inuyasha?" Sango was staring at the hanyo with a strange look on her face. "You usually go in determined to kill everything and get the shards."

"Yeh, well. I've changed. I've also read petitions written by people who have had damage done to their homes or farms because of us. There are two demons in employment of the castle who have lost a family member to the jewel shards. Because I killed them. One of them, I killed her father. She told me about how good of a man he had been before he found that shard. He was a peaceful being. He even gave aide to the nearby village. He was their guardian and kept the people safe. And we killed him because the shard had turned him violent." Inuyasha shook his head. "I don't want to see another good person hurt. If we can save them, I want them saved."

"And if we can't?" Kagome crossed her arms. She didn't like seeing Sesshomaru cuddled up against Inuyasha the way he was. It made her really uncomfortable.

"Then we can't. All we can do is try." Sesshomaru made a soft noise and jerked awake. Fear flashed through him and Inuyasha put a hand on his thigh. "Relax."

Sesshomaru remembered where he was and calmed some. He had had a nightmare. One that often came to him if he slept surrounded by the stink of humans. It was really a memory. One of his earliest memories. When he had been 4 years old, he had snuck out of the castle and somehow gotten past the wall. He had found himself in the village. The humans had surrounded him. They knew who he was and simply wanted to say hello. But Sesshomaru had never seen humans before. He had been very frightened. He had started to cry and scream for his father. One of the village women, wanting to help him, tried to pick him so she could carry him to the castle gates and turn him over to a guard. Sesshomaru had screamed as loud as he could when the woman had touched her and lashed out. He had raked the woman's face with his claws. Someone had been wise enough to go run for a castle guard then. Sesshomaru had still been screaming when his father had ran up, scooped him into his arms, apologized to the villagers and thanked them for finding him, and ran back to the castle. It had taken a very long time for Sesshomaru to calm down. And it had taken years before he was willing to leave the castle and interact with the humans. But he was still very uncomfortable around them.

Inuyasha turned back to his friends. "It will take about four days to get to the coastal village. We can leave in the morning."

The group talked about random things while their dinner cooked. Inuyasha woke Sesshomaru so he could eat. After eating, Sesshomaru turned to face the wall and laid on his side with his head in Inuyasha's lap. Inuyasha gently stroked his hair while he talked with Miroku about the lessons he had been having in learning control of his power. When they decided to turn in for the night, Inuyasha woke Sesshomaru and they went to sleep in the forest.

Inuyasha spread a blanket on the ground and used the other two to cover them when Sesshomaru curled up beside him. "I don't like being surrounded by humans."

"I know. But they're my friends and I'm going to spend time with them. Until you have our child, you'll have to put up with it. After we have a child, you'll be able to stay home."

"They stink. Especially the women." Sesshomaru put his nose to Inuyasha's neck. He wanted to fill his nose with his mate's scent and get rid of the stick of the humans.

"Yeh. They smell like that when they're menstruating. You learn to ignore it. Apparently, the humans can't smell it."

"Something good about their dull noses. What is menstruating?" Inuyasha explained and he felt sick. "That is truly disgusting."

"Yeh, well. All human females do it." Inuyasha closed his eyes. "Sleep."

Sesshomaru knew he was going to have nightmares about human women bleeding.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Inuyasha woke to the smell of wet leaves and dirt. He loved that smell and he loved sleeping under the trees. Sesshomaru moved against him and he looked down at him. He was still asleep, his face slack, his breathing slow. Inuyasha sat up carefully so he didn't wake him. He rolled Sesshomaru onto his front and bent over him, pressing his face into the hair at the back of his neck. That was his favorite place to smell. Somehow, he could smell how submissive his mate was just there. It was a sweet scent. It got stronger the more submissive Sesshomaru was being. When he tried to argue, the scent grew musky. When he wanted sex, the scent grew spicy. When he was being fucked, it grew into this scent that he couldn't quite describe. It was spicy and sweet and musky and smelled like sex. But Inuyasha's favorite scent was when Sesshomaru was being completely submissive. When he was cowering and his body was limp and he was quiet and afraid. Then he had a scent that was very sweet. It smelled like hot, boiled sugar. And it made Inuyasha instantly want to pound his mate until he screamed.

Sesshomaru woke when teeth bit the back of his neck. Inuyasha's power was pressing down on him, demanding that he submit. Sesshomaru let his body go limp. He hated it when Inuyasha did this. His fear rose quickly. Inuyasha usually hurt him then he did this. But he only did it when Sesshomaru needed a behavior change. What had he done?

Inuyasha growled against the back of Sesshomaru next. His scent turned to that sweet, submissive scent.

Sesshomaru lifted his hips when Inuyasha pulled at his clothes. His legs were spread by his mate's knees and suddenly Inuyasha was inside him. He whimpered softly. He hadn't been ready and it hurt. But after a few thrusts his body loosened and the pain turned to pleasure. He moaned and Inuyasha moved faster.

Inuyasha let go of Sesshomaru's neck and moved to lick the mating scar on his shoulder. Sesshomaru's ass clenched around him each time his tongue touched the scar. He reached a hand under him and stroked him with his thrusts. Sesshomaru came quickly and Inuyasha allowed himself to finish as well.

When Inuyasha rolled off of him, Sesshomaru turned his head to look at him. He stayed submissive and limp. "Have I displeased you?" He hated when his voice sounded small.

Inuyasha looked over at him. "You smelled like sex."

Sesshomaru frowned. "I was dreaming about you."

Inuyasha looked up at the sky, the sun was rising. "I didn't want you to smell like sex. I didn't make you have that scent."

"I'm sorry. I can't control my dreams."

"I know. But I still didn't like it. So I made you submit. It's a different scent. One I very much enjoy."

"I'll always submit to you. You're my mate." Sesshomaru wiggled closer to Inuyasha and pressed his face to his neck. "I want to submit to you."

"Good. If I hurt you, I want it to be because I want to hurt you. Not because you need to be punished. Needing to be punished means you've angered me. And I don't like being angry."

"I'm learning. When you punish me, I never again do what you punished me for. I just need to learn what angers you." Sesshomaru licked Inuyasha's neck. "I'm trying. I'll do better."

Inuyasha sat up. Sesshomaru was trying to pacify him. He didn't want to be pacified right then. "I want to know why you dislike humans so much."

Sesshomaru sighed. He knew Inuyasha would ask that question eventually. He told him the story of what happened when he was a child. "I know it's irrational. But I can't get over that terror I felt."

"I understand. I felt the same way about you for a very long time."

Sesshomaru cowered. Inuyasha was getting angry. "I'm sorry. I was afraid of you. I don't handle fear well."

"So you've said. I'm not afraid of you anymore. I'm stronger than you are. And now you're completely submissive to me. You can never hurt me again."

"I don't want to. If I hadn't been so stubborn, I would have realized a long time ago that you would be my perfect mate. You're powerful. You'll protect me. And our children. Or child. Whichever you allow."

"I'll let you have as many as you want, Sesshomaru. I just want you happy. I don't like feeling you unhappy. It makes me feel uncomfortable because my instincts tell me that I'm not being a good mate. And I've decided that I'm going to listen to my instincts. They haven't steered me wrong yet. So you can have as many children as you want, Sesshomaru. Just make sure you're the one that raises them. I will not allow our children to be raised by wet nurses and nannies. You will nurse them and you will raise them. Understand?"

"Yes. I understand. I don't want that either. No one cares for my children but me."

"Good." Inuyasha stood and stretched. "Come on. We need to get going." Sesshomaru stood and straightened his clothing. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around him from behind and put his hands over his belly. "I can't wait to see you round and pregnant."

"Only a year to wait." Sesshomaru put his hand over Inuyasha's. "I'll give you a son. I know I will."

"You better. I want an heir."

"I'll give you one. I swear. In a year you will have a son."

Inuyasha shook his head. "Sesshomaru, you can't swear that. You could give me daughters. And that's okay. I wouldn't mind having daughters. I just want one boy. I know we'll have one. It might be in a year, it might be in 100 years. But we'll have one."

"I want to have a lot of children." Sesshomaru turned and put his head on Inuyasha's shoulder. "I want dozens of them."

"We'll have one every 10 years." Inuyasha held Sesshomaru close. His neck had that beautiful, sweet smell again.

"We can have more than that. Riko grows a very rare herb in the castle garden. It can force a demon into heat."

Inuyasha took Sesshomaru's face in his hands. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was afraid you would say no."

"Sesshomaru, I promised you a child. Why didn't you tell me? You could have taken it already."

Sesshomaru eyes filled with tears. "Really?"

"Yes. As soon as we're home, you're taking that herb. I want you pregnant. You understand?"

Sesshomaru nodded as the tears spilled over. "Promise?"

"I swear it. I want you fat with my child." He kissed Sesshomaru deeply before pressing his nose to his neck again. He loved that sweet, submissive scent.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

Inuyasha stood on the beach and stared at the cave. The people in the village hadn't really been afraid. They had been confused. The demon had always been kind to them. He chased fish into their nets and chased real sharks away from their shores. He helped them build their homes and repair their boats. He had saved the lives of several men who had been washed off their boats during a storm. They didn't understand why he had killed some of their goats and kidnapped two of their children.

Inuyasha and Sesshomaru had explained to the village about the jewel shard. They explained that the shard was likely responsible for the change in the demon. It had corrupted him. But if they removed the shard, the demon would go back to being his real self. Every person in the village wanted them to save the demon. Even the parents of the children that had been taken.

The children were both boys. One was 9 and the other 12. They worked in the goat field as shepherds, making sure the goats didn't escape the pasture and watching for predators. They hadn't called out when the demon had come into the field. They knew him. It wasn't until he had killed two of the goats that they had cried out. Two of the village men had come running and the demon had snatched up the boys and ran back to his cave. Anytime someone approached the cave, the demon roared and threw rocks at them. So they had called for help. Five weeks had passed since the boys were taken. The villagers didn't know if they were alive or dead.

Inuyasha had told his friends to stay in the village. He wanted to take care of this himself. They had argued, but Inuyasha had insisted. His anger finally had them agreeing. That, and he was bringing Sesshomaru with him. Now they stood at the mouth of the cave. The demon was roaring and throwing stones. Inuyasha was using one of the new tricks Riko had taught him. He was using his power to put up a shield to protect himself and his mate. Nothing could pass it that he didn't allow. The rocks hit it and bounced off like they were hitting a rock wall.

They walked through the cave and found the demon crouching near a small fire. The two boys were sitting in a pile of blankets behind him. They were alive.

"Fukahire? What's happened to you?" Sesshomaru stood behind Inuyasha. He was saddened by what he saw. The demon looked like a feral cat defending its territory.

"He has a shard. Can you feel it?"

"Yes. But I can't tell where it is."

Inuyasha opened a cage door so half of his power hummed through him. He had almost complete control over half now, but not just yet. Right then, it obeyed him. "It's in the back of his neck." Inuyasha growled angrily. "Naraku. He puts corrupted shards in the necks of demons he wants to corrupt."

"We have to help him, Inuyasha."

"We will." Inuyasha opened another door. The demon hissed at him, showing rowed of razor sharp teeth. Inuyasha sent out his power and wrapped the demon in thick tendrils, binding him tighter than rope. He approached him and, ignoring the snapping teeth, used his claws to dig the shard from the demon's neck. Sure enough, it was black with corruption. He dropped the shard into the bag around his neck and tucked it into his shirt.

The demon had gone limp when the shard had been removed. Now he started to rouse. His face was calm and relaxed as he looked up. His eyes met Inuyasha's and he frowned. He looked past him and saw the other demon. "Lord Sesshomaru?"

Sesshomaru nodded. "Hello, Fukahire."

"Why are you here? Have I done something?" He swayed a bit as Inuyasha set him down.

"Sesshomaru, why don't you talk to him while I take care of the boys?"

Sesshomaru stepped forward and put a hand on the demon's shoulder. "Come on. We need to talk."

The demon was staring at the boys. "What are they doing here? Did they sneak in here? I don't let the children in my cave."

"It's alright, Fukahire. Come with me."

After Sesshomaru had led the shark demon further into the cave, Inuyasha sat next to the boys. "How are you? Did he hurt you?"

The older boy looked up at him with sad eyes. "He made me have sex with him."

Inuyasha sighed. "You're alright now. He won't hurt you again."

"Why did he do it? Fuka has always been so nice." The smaller boy started to cry and the older boy put his arm around him. "He fed us and kept us warm. But he made me do that with him."

Inuyasha pulled the bag back out from under his shirt and took out the shard. "A very bad man put this inside Fukahire. It turned him bad. I know that nothing can ever make what he did okay, but he didn't do it on purpose. This shard made him bad. Now that it is out of him, he won't remember what he did to you."

The boy's eyes turned haunted. "I wish I could forget."

"I wish you could, too. Why don't we get you back to your parents?"

"Don't tell them. Don't tell them what Fuka did to me."

"I won't. It's up to you if you want to tell them."

"I don't want them to know. I don't want them to know that I let him do that to me so that he wouldn't do it to Taka."

Inuyasha looked at the younger boy. "Fukahire didn't rape him as well?"

"No. Anytime he touched Taka I would get in his way. I would tell him to do it to me. So he never did it to Taka. But he had to watch and listen."

Inuyasha put a hand on the boys shoulder. "You did a very brave thing. You protected your friend, even if it meant you got hurt."

The boy turned red and looked away. "He never hurt me. He was gentle when he did it." He turned even redder and looked up at Inuyasha. "What if it felt good?"

Inuyasha gave the boy a gentle smile. "It's okay. You're old enough that sex can feel good. But it doesn't make what he did right. He forced you to do it. That makes it rape."

"I know. Don't tell my mom and dad."

"I won't. I promise." Inuyasha held out his hand. "Come on." The boys slid out from under the blankets. The younger boy was clothed but the older boy was nude. "Do you know what happened to your clothes?"

"Fuka burned them. I wouldn't let him take Taka's clothes."

"You're a brave man." Inuyasha wrapped the boy in one of the blankets. "Why don't we tell your parents that your clothes got really dirty so Fukahire made you take them off?"

"Okay."

Inuyasha lead the boys out of the cave. He took them up to the village and the boys were quickly wrapped up in their parent's arms and led home. Inuyasha gave the shard to Kagome. "It was Naraku."

Kagome took the shard out of the bag and the corruption was cleansed by her touch. She put it into the box with the other shards. "What happened to the boys?"

"They were just kept in there. They were fed and kept warm, but Fukahire frightened them pretty good."

"Why did he take them?"

"I think he went after the goats and got frightened and just grabbed the boys. Then he didn't know what to do with them."

"What about the demon?"

"Sesshomaru is talking to him, telling him what happened. I'm gonna go check on them." Inuyasha found them in the back room of the cave. Fukahire was sitting with his head in his hands. "How's it going?"

The demon looked up at the hanyo. "I don't know what happened. Lord Sesshomaru says a corrupted sacred jewel shard was in me. But I don't know how it got there."

"Naraku probably came in while you were sleeping. He's done it before."

"What did I do to those boys?"

"You frightened them. But the older boy said that you fed them and kept them warm. You didn't hurt them."

The shark demon nodded and looked over to Sesshomaru. "Will I need to find a new place to live?"

Sesshomaru gestured to Inuyasha. "You need to talk to the Lord about that. My mate is Lord now. It's his decision."

The demon nodded and looked back to Inuyasha. "I apologize, my Lord. Will I need to leave this place?"

"I don't think so. The villagers seem to want you here. They were very upset that something had happened to you. Let's go see what they say. If they want you gone, we will find you a new place to live." Inuyasha led the demon from the cave. The villagers were still gathered in the square. Even the parents of the children were back, though the children weren't there. "You all have a decision to make. Fukahire had been corrupted by the jewel shard placed inside of him by an evil demon. The things he did, he did not knowingly do them. And he does not remember doing them. But if you want him to leave, he will leave."

The village mayor stepped forward and stood in front of the demon. "You okay now, Fuka? You had all of us really worried. We sent to the Demon Lord for help. So, you okay now?"

The demon nodded slowly. "Lord Inuyasha cured me of the corruption. But I know why I did what I did. I'm so sorry."

"No need to apologize. We knew something was wrong with you. I've known you since I was a little boy, Fuka. You've never hurt a single person since you've been here. You protect our village. You've help us so many times for so many years. So we did what we could to help you. We don't want you to go. You belong here."

The demon bowed low. "I can only apologize. And thank you for getting help for me."

The mayor waved the thanks off. "Just get back to work helping fill out nets."

The demon smiled. "I will."


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Inuyasha was getting really angry. "Go home! I'll come back when I know where to go next."

"We don't work that way. We travel around and find the shards. We don't sit around and wait for you to tell us where we can find one because you send scouts out from Sesshomaru's castle." Kagome was nose to nose with the hanyo.

"Well we do now. It's quicker and safer."

"How is it quicker? We've been sitting around waiting for you for over two weeks and we only went to find one shard."

"How often do we go out and travel around for weeks and not find anything? We have almost all of the shard now, except for the chunk that Naraku has. It will be easier to find the remaining shards by investigating reports sent to the castle. Go home. I don't need you right now. Go do your school and be with your family. I have things I need to do that don't involve you."

Kagome shook her head and stepped back. "You've changed. I don't know who you are anymore."

"I'm Inuyasha, Lord of the Western Lands. And I have more important things to do than waste my time traveling all over the place when I can send out a dozen scout from my castle."

"And what about Naraku?"

"We'll fight him when the time comes." Inuyasha turned to leave. He walked towards his mate, who was currently in his true Inu form. He was curled up at the edge of the forest, his tail over his nose.

"Why is he in that form? He scaring the villagers."

"He isn't scaring anyone. He just annoying you." Inuyasha stopped before him mate and rubbed the center of his massive head. "But he is in this form because he can get us to the castle in 2 hours flying this way." He turned to glare at Kagome. "Tonight is the new moon. I want my mate in the safety of the castle before the sun is down. And you have wasted so much damn time that I'm going to transform before we get there. Now go away. And go home." Inuyasha pulled himself onto Sesshomaru's back.

Sesshomaru stood, careful not to dislodge Inuyasha. It was his suggestion that they go home this way. It was faster. And Sesshomaru had been itching for a while to be in his true form. He didn't do it often, but it felt wonderful to change form. It was a release. He leapt into the air and felt Inuyasha grip the fur on top of his head as he slid down to straddle his neck.

Inuyasha closed his eyes and tried to calm his demon power. It was raging behind the bars of the cells. The time of his weakness was coming and his mate wasn't safe. The forest sped by under them. He looked to where the sun was setting. It was getting close. An hour later, the sun set and Inuyasha shuddered as his human blood took over. Sesshomaru whined loudly under him. He leaned forward and hugged the top of his massive head. "I'm alright."

Sesshomaru felt fear swamp him. He couldn't feel that piece of Inuyasha that lived inside of him anymore. It was the first time the new moon had come since they had been together. It must have happened once early on but they hadn't been near each other. Sesshomaru didn't remember feeling it. But he felt it now. He couldn't feel his mate. And it frightened him. An hour later, the castle came into view. He landed in the inner garden and laid down. Inuyasha slid off of his back.

Inuyasha staggered as Sesshomaru changed his form and threw himself at him. "I'm alright. I'm alright."

Sesshomaru shook his head. "I can't feel you. I can't feel you in me. Inuyasha, I can't feel you."

Inuyasha couldn't feel him either. But he knew his mate was panicking. "Sesshomaru, I need you to calm down. Come on." He took his mate's hand and led him into the castle and to their bedroom. He stripped out of his clothes and helped Sesshomaru out of his. He tucked them into the big bed and buried them in the blankets. Sesshomaru trembled in his arms. "It's still me."

"You smell human."

"I know. I hate it. It will be gone soon enough. Once the sun rises, I'll be myself again."

"I don't like you smelling human. Make it go away, Inuyasha."

"I'm working on it. Once I have complete control, I won't be a hanyo anymore. I'll be a daiyokai, like you. And this will never happen again. But it's something that will happen until then. So please, just sleep, okay?"

"I'll try. But I don't know if I can sleep with you stinking like a human."

"Would you like me to leave the room? I'll go sleep somewhere else tonight."

Sesshomaru wrapped himself around his mate. "No. Don't leave me."

Inuyasha rubbed Sesshomaru's back slowly. "I'm still me. I know I stink. Try not to smell."

Sesshomaru laughed softly. "I can't stop myself from smelling you."

Inuyasha reached up and pinched Sesshomaru's nose closed. "There."

Sesshomaru laughed again. "That doesn't help."

Inuyasha laughed at the way Sesshomaru voice sounded. He let go of his nose and reached down to cup his ass. "What if I touch you?"

"I don't know. You stink."

Inuyasha smirked. "What if you touch me?"

Sesshomaru pulled back and frowned at his mate. "What do you mean?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I don't know. I don't feel the need to be in control right now. Why don't you touch me? I don't let you do that much."

Sesshomaru looked down at Inuyasha's chest and flicked a finger over one of his nipples. "All over?"

"Sure." Inuyasha moaned softly when Sesshomaru pinched the nipple. "Don't be too rough. It's all really sensitive now."

Sesshomaru wiggled until Inuyasha let him go and slid down so he could lick the nipple. Inuyasha moaned and gripped his hair. He felt him grow hard against his belly. He was much smaller in human form. Still larger than he was though. He slid down further and licked him. Inuyasha moaned louder and twitched under his tongue. As Sesshomaru licked and sucked him, Inuyasha's legs opened around his body. Curious, Sesshomaru rubbed a finger over his entrance.

Inuyasha moaned and pressed against the finger. "Do it."

Sesshomaru looked up at his mates face, so strange looking surrounded by black hair. He stuck his finger in his mouth to wet it and then slowly pushed it into Inuyasha.

Inuyasha's back arched. "Oh, yes. More."

Sesshomaru pushed the finger in further and started to move it in and out. He moved his head down and licked around his finger while he moved.

"More, Sesshomaru."

Looking up at his mate again, he raised an eyebrow. "How much more?"

Inuyasha pulled Sesshomaru up by his hair until they were face to face. "Fuck me."

Sesshomaru swallowed. "I've never done that."

Inuyasha wrapped his legs around Sesshomaru's waist. "Just put it in me and move."

Sesshomaru nodded. He looked down his body and took himself into his hand. He pressed himself against Inuyasha's opening and moaned as it went in. It felt strange. But good.

Inuyasha tightened his legs and pulled Sesshomaru's hips tight against him, forcing him all the way in. "Oh, Kami. That's it." He rolled his hips and Sesshomaru moaned in his ear. "Move for me."

Sesshomaru started to move. It was strange. He didn't really like this. But Inuyasha had asked for it. He didn't have much to move with but Inuyasha seemed to be enjoying it. He was moaning and lifting his hips up with each thrust. He hadn't been doing it long, but he was already close. "Inuyasha, I'm going to come."

"Not yet." Inuyasha fisted his cock and pumped it. "Almost." He rolled his hips against Sesshomaru and cried out as he came, shooting up his chest. "Oh, Kami." He wrapped his arms around Sesshomaru as his mate moaned softly and shuddered as he came. "That was nice."

"I'm glad you liked it." He softened quickly and slid out of Inuyasha.

Inuyasha chuckled. "You didn't like it, did you?"

"No. Not really." Moving out from between Inuyasha's legs, he curled up beside him. "It felt weird."

"The sex felt weird?"

"That, too. But I didn't like being dominant to you. It was really uncomfortable."

"Ah. Yeh I see how that would be uncomfortable. But it felt good." He rolled over and moved on top of Sesshomaru. "Do you want me to take you now?"

Sesshomaru flushed. "Yes."

Inuyasha bent and nipped his mate's neck. "Pull your knees up for me." Sesshomaru did as he was told, spreading himself wide. Inuyasha pushed into him. "You're always so tight." He went slow, drawing soft moans from his mate. "So hot." He kissed around Sesshomaru jaw. "So wet." He pressed his mouth to Sesshomaru's, opening his mouth with his tongue.

Sesshomaru moaned and fought to not move. "More."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Move for me."

Sesshomaru shrunk down under him. "You hate it when I move."

"My demon instincts aren't telling me to dominate you. We just proved that when your cock was in my ass. Move your hips, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru made a frustrated noise and rolled them over. Inuyasha yipped in surprise. With Inuyasha on his back, Sesshomaru sat up and rolled his hips, leaning back and bracing his arm on Inuyasha thigh.

Inuyasha moaned. "That's it. Ride me."

Sesshomaru moved faster. He had always wanted to do this position with Inuyasha but he would never let him do it. Letting Sesshomaru ride him put him in a position of power that Inuyasha's demon instincts wouldn't allow. He bounced on Inuyasha's cock, moaning loudly as it rammed right into that spot inside. He came quickly but didn't stop. It felt so good.

Inuyasha watched Sesshomaru move over him. He was so beautiful. His eyes were closed, his face flushed, moaning loudly as he fucked himself on his cock. His own was bouncing, dripping onto his belly. It was arousing to watch. Sesshomaru cried out again and he spurted onto him. Inuyasha loved watching him come. Such a small amount came out of him. It was like he had spit on him. Inuyasha fought the urge to come. He wanted Sesshomaru to use him how he wanted.

After he came a fifth time while riding his mate's cock, Sesshomaru slumped forward. He kept moving, but now he was just rocking his hips. "You haven't come."

"Are you satisfied? I can't feel if you're done. You need to tell me."

Sesshomaru flushed. "Not yet."

"Then keep going. Tell me when you're done."

Sesshomaru laid down on top of Inuyasha and simply rocked his hips. "You feel so good. I wish you would let me do this when you aren't human."

"We'll see. I'll try to let you do it. It feels amazing."

Sesshomaru moved faster. His cock was now rubbing between himself and his mate. He cried out against Inuyasha's neck as he came again.

Inuyasha had a tight grip on the blankets around him. Sesshomaru had come 9 times now and he was still going. "That's it, Sesshomaru. Fuck yourself on my cock until you can't take anymore." Sesshomaru shuddered and came again. And kept moving. He was moaning against his neck, his hips rocking so that he was fucking himself hard and fast. His groin was tight and starting to ache. "Fuck. I need to come, Sesshomaru."

Sesshomaru kept going. "Then come. I'll make you hard again."

Inuyasha cried out as he came. He hurt some, but it felt so good after having held it back for somewhere around two hours. Sesshomaru kept moving and his cock stayed hard. "That's better. Do what you need to do."

"It feels so good. I don't want to stop." Sesshomaru came again. Usually by the time he had come this many times, he was getting sore. But every single orgasm was pure pleasure. He didn't want to stop. So he didn't

Another two hours passed. Sesshomaru was still fucking himself. He had sat up a while ago and was bouncing again. It was like he couldn't get enough. Inuyasha had come twice more but he stayed hard because Sesshomaru just didn't stop. "Sesshomaru. It's been four hours."

"It's not enough." He braced his hand on Inuyasha's chest and moved faster. "It's not enough."

"Okay." Inuyasha could only watch him. He knew this wasn't all because Sesshomaru was horny. It was because Sesshomaru needed some way to feel him when he couldn't feel his demon. "You're still going to be fucking yourself when the sun comes up."

"I don't care. It's not enough." He shouted and came again. "It feels so fucking good." He changed position slightly. He put his feet under him and braced his hand on Inuyasha's hip. He could fuck harder this way. And he wanted it harder. He was fucking himself with Inuyasha ramming against that spot again. It made him come so hard it made him dizzy and light bursts filled his eyes. After coming three more times like that, he collapsed down onto Inuyasha again. But his hips never stopped. "I can't stop. Make me stop. Please."

Inuyasha pushed Sesshomaru off of him. His mate whined loudly and rolled onto his side, facing away from him. Inuyasha rolled to look down at his face. "Are you alright?"

"Give me a moment." Sesshomaru wanted more. But he was so tired. He couldn't keep going. His body slowly calmed. His breathing evened out and his erection went away. His ass ached now that the arousal was subsiding. "Too much. That as too much."

"You're the one that kept going." Inuyasha set his chin on Sesshomaru's shoulder and looked down at his face. "Are you alright?"

"I'm sore." Rolling over, he tucked himself under Inuyasha's chin. "And really tired."

"Sleep. I'll be me again in the morning." Inuyasha chuckled. "You're gonna need your sleep. Cause when my demon energy is back, it's probably gonna be upset that I let you fuck me."

Sesshomaru whimpered softly. "I only did what you told me to do."

"I know." He kissed Sesshomaru's forehead and closed his eyes. "Sleep."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

Inuyasha had indeed woken upset. But it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. Having so much control now, he could push the anger that threatened away. But he still rolled Sesshomaru onto his belly and fucked him until he screamed.

He now sat in Riko's workroom, surrounded by the scents of the various herbs. He had left Sesshomaru passed out in bed. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Alright." Riko hadn't been surprised when Inuyasha had come and interrupted his morning fuck with one of his lovers. But as he usually did, he just wandered into the workroom and waited until he finished. This time he had been on his back with his legs in the air with one of the larger guards fucking him blind. He really enjoyed that particular lover.

"First off, I thought you preferred women?"

Riko smirked. "I prefer anyone that makes me see stars while I come. I have no gender preference."

Inuyasha shrugged. "I didn't either. Before Sesshomaru." He sat in his usual spot in front of the window. "Sesshomaru mentioned an herb that could force his heat."

Riko nodded cautiously. "Yes. There is one. But I wouldn't recommend it for your first child."

"Why not?"

"Because Sesshomaru will be in heat again in less than a year. But if he takes the herb and forces the heat, after giving birth he will immediately go into heat again."

"I see. That probably wouldn't be good. We should learn to be parents before something like that happens."

"Yes."

Inuyasha stretched his head. "I kinda promised him we would use it though."

Riko made an annoyed sound. "You shouldn't make promises like that. You need to learn all you can about something first."

Inuyasha nodded. "Yeh. I realize that."

"You're still young. There are times where you will be impulsive. Explain the situation to Sesshomaru. If he still wants the herb, than it will be your decision. But if you ask for it, I will give it to you. You are the Lord and I am your servant."

Inuyasha nodded again, then turned to look at the healer. "I want to work more on the next cage. I opened it to help me subdue the shark demon and it obeyed really well. I think I'm almost there with it."

"I already have a few tasks set up for you. I spent the last week setting up puzzles around the castle. So you will need to find them first. They are all sitting on a red cloth so you will know when you find one. You may begin when you're ready."

Inuyasha closed his eyes and opened the second cage door. The power flowed through him and was easily under control. He send tendrils of the power out through the castle in different directions. It had been strange at first to see multiple locations at the same time, but he had grown used to it after a few days. He found the first puzzle in the guest wing dining room. For this one he had to stack 15 teacups into a pyramid without breaking any. This taught patience and care. He concentrated and was able to get the task done fairly quickly. While he had been doing it, he had found another task. For that one, he had to pick up grains of rice and place them in a bowl. This taught delicate precision and more patience. While he was doing that one, he found a third. For this one he needed to search a barrel of beans for a single gem hidden inside. This taught sensation diffraction. A fourth task had him placing shapes into appropriate slots. This taught precision as well. The fifth, and final, task was to light a candle. It sounded simple, but he had to lift the match, strike it, carry it to the flame, and extinguish the match. It took patience and precision. He then had to blow out the candle. That was more difficult. It had taken him a while to learn how to blow his power like a wind. But he could do it now without too much concentration.

When Riko felt Inuyasha pulling his power back he smiled. "Very good, my Lord. Less than two hours this time. I'm going to need to bring out some more difficult tasks. You learn very quickly."

"It's getting easier to do the smaller things. The rice is pretty easy now. And the candle."

"I'm glad. How does the power level feel?"

Inuyasha searched the power. He couldn't differentiate it from the power he had already tamed and become one with. "It's settled."

Riko nodded. He could feel that. "Yes, my Lord. Congratulations. You are half way there. But it will get more difficult from here. The tasks will be harder and more detailed and the higher levels of power are more difficult to tame. You have done very well thus far, but don't expect that the last two cages of power will take such a short time to tame. I still hold with my prediction that it will take you a year to complete your training. Don't try to force it."

"I won't." Inuyasha rolled his neck. "I feel stronger already."

"You are. Stronger and faster. Your markings are darker." He smiled. "I know you tire of hearing it, but you look so much like your father."

"I'm myself. I'm striving to be a Lord to make him proud. But I'll do things my way. If my way is similar to my father's, then I'm proud I could do things like he did. But that just means that we have similar ideals. I'm not trying to be like my father."

"I understand."

Inuyasha stood. "I'm going to go get some work done." Inuyasha made his way to the office. The new power level had already settled nicely. He hardly even noticed the difference. But he did notice that his eyesight was better. And his sense of smell was stronger. Sitting in the office, he could smell that Sesshomaru was still asleep down the hall. Sorting through the petitions, he could smell all the people that had handled the scrolls. The one he was currently reading had been written by a man who had handled chickens. It was interesting. Not completely pleasant, some of the scents were unpleasant, but sorting through all of the different scents gave him something fun to do while he sorted through all of the petition scrolls.

Sesshomaru rolled over with a groan. He was pleasantly sore all over. Inuyasha's scent was strong on him and on the blankets. He rolled in the scent, wanting as much of it on him as he could get. But he wanted more. He rolled out of bed and went in search of his mate. He found him in the office, writing something on a scroll.

Inuyasha looked up when he felt Sesshomaru enter the room and frowned. "Why are you nude?"

Sesshomaru crossed the room and crawled into Inuyasha's lap, rubbing against him and pressing his face to his neck. "I want to smell like you."

Inuyasha chuckled. "Alright." He found it difficult to write with Sesshomaru rubbing himself on him. He had pulled open his robe and was rubbing their bare bodies together. "Are you almost done? I'm trying to work here."

"I want you all over me." Sesshomaru turned so his back was against Inuyasha's chest. He rubbed against him before settling. He sighed. "That's better. I can only smell you."

"Is this a normal behavior?"

"I don't know. I just woke up and wanted you all over me."

"Okay." Inuyasha set aside the minor petition he had just written onto the decision scroll.

"Can I nap here?"

"Didn't you just wake up?"

"Yes, but I want a nap now."

"We need to talk about something."

"What?"

"That herb. I talked to Riko about it. He told me that when a demon takes it, it does force a heat. But after the child is born, a second heat starts almost immediately. I know I promised you we would do it. But I want you to really think about it now. Would you be able to handle having two children so close together?" He watched the side of Sesshomaru's face as he spoke. When he didn't respond, he turned his face to him with a hand on his chin. "I'll leave the decision up to you."

"I don't know. Can I think about it for a little while?"

"Of course. You don't need to decide today." Inuyasha turned back to the petitions.

"Inuyasha."

"Yes?"

"Your power increased."

"Yes. Another cage is opened."

Sesshomaru turned sideways so he could press his face to Inuyasha's neck. "I want to ask you something but I'm afraid you will be angry if I do."

"Are you going to ask me to fuck you? I can feel your arousal."

Sesshomaru curled up, trying to be small. "Yes."

"Put your back to me again." Sesshomaru did as he was told and Inuyasha lifted his hips and thrust up into him. His mate cried out and his head fell back onto his shoulder.

"Thank you." Sesshomaru moaned loudly as Inuyasha thrust up into him hard and fast. He came suddenly, shouting as it tore through him. Inuyasha fucked him until he had come three times. Then he buried himself inside of him and had his own release. Sesshomaru whimpered as he felt something happen that hadn't happened before.

Inuyasha sighed. "You're welcome." He tried to lift Sesshomaru off of him and hissed as his cock tried to go with his mate. "What the fuck?"

Sesshomaru pressed his hips down tight. "You're tied in me."

"What? Why? How?"

"The increase in your power. Dominant canine daiyokai males tie inside of their mates when they have sex. It will go away in a couple minutes."

Inuyasha growled, annoyed. "Why didn't you tell me this would happen?"

"I didn't think it would happen so soon. It only happens to canine daiyokai. You aren't a daiyokai yet." Sesshomaru shifted a bit. The tie was uncomfortable.

"Is it hurting you?"

"No. Not really. It's just really uncomfortable. It's this huge swelling right behind my hole."

"So why do we tie in our mates? It would make sense if it were during the heat. But every time we have sex this is going to happen?"

"Yes. I was actually happy that it didn't happen with you. It's really uncomfortable."

Inuyasha growled and put a hand around Sesshomaru's throat. He pulled him back against him so he could press lips to his ear. "You've felt it before?"

Sesshomaru swallowed. "The lover's father found for me before I had my first heat. They were all Inu daiyokai. Father hoped one of them would be strong enough to mate me. But none of them were. Obviously."

"I see." Inuyasha felt himself deflate and he tossed Sesshomaru away from him. "Go take a bath. Then go back to our room and stay there."

Sesshomaru hung his head. He hated it when Inuyasha sent him away. But he did as he was told. He didn't want to do anything to make Inuyasha feel that he wasn't a good mate. So he submitted completely. Like a good bitch did.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-Six

Inuyasha spent the next three days in the office. By the time he finally left it, all of the petitions had been sorted and dealt with. He sent out officials to give the judgements on the minor issues and sent others out to either judge the major cases or to bring the cases to the castle. He also sent investigators and scouts out to bring back more information on a few of the petitions. With that work done, he could now deal with other things.

After he bathed, Inuyasha went to have another lesson with Riko. New tasks were set out, these ones more difficult than the ones he had already mastered. It took him nearly four hours to complete the two tasks. He was exhausted by the time they were done. The third piece of his power was more difficult to control and he had spent most of the time trying to force the power to obey.

"You did well, my Lord. I did say that it was going to get more difficult." Riko handed his tired master a cup of tea.

"I was already tired anyways." Inuyasha sipped the tea and rubbed his sore neck.

"Yes. You have been working hard. Lord Sesshomaru has been worried."

Inuyasha scoffed. "Sesshomaru is a whore."

"Ah. The heart of the problem." Riko sat across from the hanyo again. "You have issue with Sesshomaru's past sexual history."

"I don't like the thought that anyone else has touched him."

"I'm sure he feels the same about you. It is natural. He is your mate. But you must remember that Sesshomaru matured over 250 years ago. Daiyokai are sexual creatures. Your father brought young males to the castle to be Sesshomaru's lovers for the years before he had his first heat. After his first heat, Sesshomaru hasn't been as sexually active. That is due to the fact that his body needed a mate. Sex, for an uke, is something done to fill a physical need. It does not become pleasurable until they mate."

"I know all that. I still don't like it. And it's worse when he makes some comment that reminds me of it. I makes me want to beat him for being such a whore." Inuyasha finished his tea and set the cup aside. "I'm dealing with it."

"By locking your mate alone in the bedroom for three days?"

"I had to do something. And I didn't want to beat him because of my anger about it. I won't punish him for things he can't change."

Riko looked at the young Lord thoughtfully. "That is a very wise and mature decision."

"I don't like hurting him unless it's to correct his behavior. Or he talks back to me. The past is the past. I don't like it, but it isn't something that can ever be changed." Inuyasha stood. "I need to sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

Inuyasha made his way through the halls to the room he shared with his mate. Sesshomaru was laying on his stomach on the bed, nude, his limbs splayed out in all directions. He jumped when Inuyasha slapped his ass. "Scoot over."

Sesshomaru rolled onto his side and rolled his eyes up.

Inuyasha let his clothes fall in a pile at the end of the bed and crawled up to lay beside his mate. "I'm exhausted."

Sesshomaru scooted closer to Inuyasha and set his forehead on his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"Just be quiet. I want to sleep." He put an arm over his mate and pulled him close. "You can talk in the morning."

Sesshomaru didn't sleep. He had been sleeping most of the last three days. Alone. Bored. But Inuyasha had told him to stay. So he had. He pressed himself against the side of Inuyasha's body and felt himself relax for the first time in three days. Inuyasha was so warm. It felt so good to touch him. This had been the longest they had gone without touching since that day Inuyasha came to the castle. He pushed his face under Inuyasha's arm and he jerked slightly.

"What are you doing?" Inuyasha lifted his arm and looked down at his mate.

"I miss your smell."

"So you stick your face in my arm pit?"

"Yes. You've been sweating, your scent is strong here." He closed his eyes and sighed, causing the soft hair to shift.

"You're weird." He put his arm back down. It felt strange having Sesshomaru head there. "Get out of my pit. I can't sleep like this. Put your face in my neck."

Sesshomaru gladly moved. He loved the smell of Inuyasha's neck. "Thank you."

"Just be quite so I can sleep. And stop wiggling. Find a spot."

Sesshomaru settled himself. He thought he wouldn't sleep, but the next thing he knew, Inuyasha was sitting up. He looked up at him. "Where are you going?"

"I promised the villagers I would introduce myself. I need to go take care of that." He stood and Sesshomaru's hands trailed over his skin.

"You said I could talk in the morning." He pulled a pillow against him and wrapped his arm around it.

Inuyasha sighed and sat on the edge of the bed. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." Inuyasha frowned. "Except for saying shit that reminds me what a whore you used to be. Are you done now?"

"I miss you." He really hated it when his voice got small and quiet like that.

Inuyasha stroked a hand over Sesshomaru's head. "I've been busy. And I was angry."

"I know. I'm sorry." He sat up and set the pillow in his lap. "I made my decision."

"About what?"

"Having a child. I want to wait until my heat comes naturally."

"Alright. I told you that it's your decision. You can change your mind at any time."

"I know. But I'm going to have a hard enough time learning to be a mother to one baby. I don't think I could handle two at once."

"Okay. Anything else?"

Sesshomaru hung his head. Inuyasha was being short with him. "May I leave the room?"

"Yeh." Inuyasha stood again. "Are you done?"

Sesshomaru felt a tear warm his face. He hated feeling like he had done something wrong. "Yes."

Inuyasha groaned in annoyance. "What's wrong?"

"What have I done to displease you?" Sesshomaru looked up at his mate, his eyes sad. "Tell me so I can fix it."

"You haven't done anything." Inuyasha started putting his clothes on. "I'm just working through some stuff. Mainly, trying to get over the fact that you've put your ass in the air for other men."

"I never enjoyed it. I did it because my body needed the release."

"You can't tell me it didn't feel good." Inuyasha was getting angry again.

"The pleasure was like a stream compared to the ocean of what you give me."

Inuyasha spun and backhanded Sesshomaru. "Stop fucking taking about it!"

Sesshomaru tumbled off the bed and put his hand to his face. He sat up slowly after hearing the door slam. He gently probed his face. His cheekbone and jaw on the right side were broken. He felt his eye beginning to swell and his lip was split and bleeding. He crawled onto the bed and curled into a ball. He had deserved that. He should have stayed silent. Saying what he did only made the problem worse.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Inuyasha returned from the village a bit more relaxed. The people were cheerful and being among them did a lot to ease his anger. He just couldn't be angry with the people telling him how happy they were to meet him and to have him in the castle.

One of the scouts he had sent out had returned and he took care of that situation. Seemed a small group of bandits had taken to raiding some of the mountain villages. He sent out people to get rid of them. After lunch, he had court scheduled. He hadn't done that before. So he went to find Sesshomaru. He found him in the dining room having lunch.

Inuyasha winced when he saw Sesshomaru's face. He cupped the unbruised side and turned his head so he could get a good look. "Is it healing?"

"Yes." Sesshomaru set down the bowl of soup he had been eating. He was determined to not make things worse. So he wouldn't speak unless spoken to.

"I'm sorry about it. But you really need to learn to just be quiet sometimes." Inuyasha sat down and went about lunch.

Sesshomaru stayed quiet and started to eat again when Inuyasha did. He watched Inuyasha cautiously. He wasn't angry anymore but he was still upset. He tried to make himself as small as he could. He really didn't want Inuyasha angry again. It made him uncomfortable and afraid. He was so focused on not drawing attention that he jumped when Inuyasha spoke.

"There's court today, in a few hours. I haven't done it alone yet."

"You did very well last time. You can do it."

"Yes, well. There's a few cases this time that I haven't handled before. So I want you with me." He frowned and looked up at Sesshomaru. "You'll need to sit so they can't see your face."

"You don't need me. You're the Lord now. You can make the decisions yourself."

Inuyasha sighed. "You're my mate. I'll always need you."

Sesshomaru blinked at Inuyasha. "I need you, too."

Inuyasha stood and held out a hand. "Come here." He pulled Sesshomaru to his feet and led him to Riko's workroom. He sat him down on the table. "Can you do something to make his face heal faster?"

Riko gently touched Sesshomaru's face. "I can put a salve on to fade the bruise. But you could heal him faster."

"I could? How?"

"Your power can heal your mate, if you direct it to do so." Riko spread a salve gently on Sesshomaru's cheek.

"How?"

"Let it wrap around him like you do when you comfort him. Tell it to heal him."

Inuyasha did as he was instructed. He felt Sesshomaru's body relax as he wrapped him in his power, as it always did. He tried to focus on healing, but he could feel that Sesshomaru was frustrated and horny and it only annoyed him. "I can't."

"You can only try, my Lord. Being able to heal your mate is a more difficult task than what we have trained on, so far. It takes a good deal of focus. Your power may try on its own, but it cannot accomplish much without your direction."

Inuyasha pulled his power back. "I can't do it. My mind isn't focused enough today."

"Understandable, my Lord." Riko finished applying the salve and put the jar back on a shelf. The bruise had already faded a bit. He probed the bones and tried not to frown. "The bones are healing. But you shouldn't have eaten with your jaw displaced. This will hurt." He popped Sesshomaru jaw back into place, making him grunt in pain.

"He only ate soup. How long until the bruises fade?"

"A couple hours, judging by how dark they are. They should be mostly gone by the time you begin court." He turned back to Sesshomaru with another jar in his hand. "Would you like something for the pain?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"Yes. He would." He took the jar from Riko. "Is this a tea?"

"Yes. Put one of the bags in a teapot and let it steep."

Inuyasha took a teabag from the jar. "Right." He pulled Sesshomaru from the table and led him back to their bedroom, telling a guard to have a teapot of hot water sent up. He pushed Sesshomaru onto the bed and stood over him, his hands fists at his sides. "Stop it, damn it."

Sesshomaru looked up, confused. "What am I doing?"

"You're horny. Knock it off already. I'm not in the mood. Drink the damn tea." Inuyasha spun and left the room.

Sesshomaru could only stare after him. He didn't know how to stop himself from wanting his mate.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The rest of the day went by slowly. Court was always aggravating. He had to judge cases of valuables theft, assault, rape, and murder. If he found someone guilty, he had to sentence them. Most went to prison for a term he determined. A few went to be executed, mainly those who planned the murder they committed. Sesshomaru sat silently at his side. He had only asked his opinion once that day, in the case of a serial rapist. He wanted to have the man executed. Sesshomaru had merely said that it was his decision. So he sent the man to death. Raping once was bad enough. But this man had raped 6 different young women that they knew of.

Inuyasha sat in the hot spring afterward, trying to soak away his frustration. He wasn't sure why he had been so annoyed at everything for the last few days.

"May I join you?"

Inuyasha turned his head to find Sesshomaru standing in the doorway in a robe. He made a noise of confirmation and close his eyes again.

Sesshomaru slid into the water and sat across from Inuyasha. He could feel his mate's frustration. He wanted to help, but knew Inuyasha would tell him no. But he had to ask anyway. "Would you like a massage?" Inuyasha made another noise of confirmation. He felt a small flash of surprise before he moved across the spring and slid behind his mate. He started on Inuyasha's shoulders. "You're all knotted up." He worked the tension from his mate's shoulders and moved down his back. It was difficult to do with one hand, but he managed. With his hand on Inuyasha's lower back, he took a risk and leaned forward to kiss the back of his neck.

Inuyasha sighed. "I thought I told you to stop."

"I can't help it." He kissed the back of his neck again. "I need you." He slid his arm around and wrapped his hand around Inuyasha erection. "Please." He stroked firmly and Inuyasha groaned. He moved his body around until he was straddling Inuyasha's lap and pressed their lips together. Inuyasha cupped his ass and kissed him back. He moaned at the touch and guided Inuyasha inside of him. He moaned loudly as he pressed his hips down until his mate's cock was completely inside. "I need you." He rocked his hips slowly and kept kissing Inuyasha. So far he was being passive, but that was likely going to change.

Inuyasha groaned and pulled Sesshomaru's hips tight against him. He realized now why he was so frustrated. He hadn't fucked Sesshomaru in four days. It was the longest he had gone without sex since he had come to the castle six week earlier. He stood and Sesshomaru wrapped around him. He carried him to the bedroom and laid him down. He sucked on Sesshomaru neck while he worked in and out of him. His mate was moaning under him and it drove him to move faster.

"Inuyasha. Harder." Inuyasha complied and Sesshomaru came, feeling his frustration melt away.

Inuyasha didn't last much longer. His body needed the release. He growled in annoyance as he knotted. "I don't like this."

Sesshomaru shifted slightly, uncomfortable. "I don't either. But it's a sign that you're a daiyokai, at least."

"I'd rather stay a hanyo if it meant my cock didn't knot up every time I fucked my mate."

"You'll get used to it." Sesshomaru cupped Inuyasha's face and pulled it down to his. "Thank you."

"Mmm. For what?" Inuyasha kissed down Sesshomaru's jaw, nipping his neck as he ran his hands down his body to his hips.

"For not stopping me. I needed you." He moaned as Inuyasha started to stroke him.

"I needed you, too. I just didn't know it until I was inside of you." He started to move again when he felt the knot relax. He spent the next few hours working out his frustration. When he was done, he lay beside his trembling mate and closed his eyes. "Remind me to punish you later for not asking permission."

"I need permission to make you feel better?" Sesshomaru rolled over and pressed his face to Inuyasha's neck.

"You need permission to touch me, yes." He ran a gentle claw over one of the markings on Sesshomaru's hip, causing him to moan and twist away slightly. "How's your face?"

"Mostly healed."

"If I leave you alone after hurting you like that again, go to Riko right away. I don't like you being in pain."

"I never know when you're doing something to punish me or when you do something out of anger. I don't want to make you more upset by going to Riko."

"Either way, I punish you to punish you. I don't want you to sit around in pain. I don't like feeling it. So go get yourself fixed and drink some of that tea for the pain."

"Alright. Just don't get angry with me."

"If I want you to suffer I'll tell you so."

Sesshomaru curled against him and kissed the side of his neck. "I'll be good."

"Good. Now sleep." Inuyasha rolled over and pulled Sesshomaru against him.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Months passed in much the same way. They went out when something needed to be taken care of, fetching the humans to go with them. But mostly Inuyasha took his duty as Lord of the Western Lands very seriously. He gained control over the third piece of his power and his friends saw him much changed from the man he was before.

Inuyasha had grown taller and more muscular. His hair was a long silky sheet as opposed to the slight mess he had before. His demon markings were vivid, his eyes shifted to red anytime he grew angry or when he fought. And we was no longer the cocky teenager. He was now the proud and sure demon Lord. He dressed in silks of white with purple accents and a red obi. The chest armor and large shoulder plates and bracers made him look powerful. When he drew his sword, he looked like something to be feared. He was a changed man.

And now, the battle had finally begun. The one they had been working so hard towards. Naraku.

They had never fought a more difficult battle. Even with his increased strength, Inuyasha fought just as hard as the rest of them. The biggest shock came when Sesshomaru's arm regrew and a new sword appeared in his hand. Sesshomaru was now able to really help with the battle, destroying large pieces of Naraku's body. The end finally came when Kagome pierced the jewel with an arrow.

And then disappeared.

And Sesshomaru panicked as he watched Inuyasha follow her.

For three days he paced the area where he disappeared. He could still feel his mate. It was faint, but he was still there, where the well had disappeared.

And then the well reappeared. And so did Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru fell on him, sobbing as he finally let out his fear of being left alone without his mate.

"Shh. I'm here." Inuyasha pressed his lips to his mate's forehead. "I'm here. I wouldn't leave you." He closed his eyes and just enjoyed the feel of having his mate hold him with two arms. It was different, and it was wonderful.

"You did leave me, damn it! You followed that damned human girl into oblivion! How was I supposed to know you would ever be back? You were gone for three days, Inuyasha!"

"Three days? It's been three days? I was there for only a few minutes."

"Time passes differently there. I thought I'd lost you." Ignoring all the rules, he cupped Inuyasha's face and kissed him. He pulled at his clothes until he had him naked and pushed him to the ground. He straddled his hips and had him inside of him before Inuyasha could protest that they were out in the open being by the well.

Feeling his mate's desperation, he allowed him control for a moment. Besides, it felt incredible when Sesshomaru rode him. He loved watching him move over him. Sesshomaru threw his head back and cried out as he came and Inuyasha rolled them over. He pulled out long enough to flip Sesshomaru over and pulled him up onto his knees. He looked over his shoulder when he heard a sound and turned to see Miroku's retreating back, Shippo hanging by his tail in his hand.

Sesshomaru clawed at the dirt under him as Inuyasha pounded into him. All of the fear and anger that had built up over the last three days faded as his mate touched him and his power washed over him, warming him and comforting him.

Inuyasha's head fell forward as he finally finished. When the tie faded, he rolled Sesshomaru over and pulled him up to kiss him. "I love you. And I hate you. But I mostly love you."

Sesshomaru swallowed and looked into Inuyasha's eyes. "I love you, too." He wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of him, kissing him thoroughly. "What happened to you?"

"I couldn't leave her there. I promised to protect her. I found her. She wished the jewel to destroy itself. And then I was back here."

"I thought I'd lost you." His hands roamed Inuyasha's body. It felt wonderful to be able to touch him with two hands.

"I'm sorry. I couldn't leave her."

"You left me."

"I know. I'm sorry. But I'll never leave you again. It's over now." He lifted Sesshomaru's left hand and kissed the palm. "Your arm."

"I know. I've had three days to get used to using it again." When Inuyasha let go of his hand he ran it through his hair. "Don't ever leave me again, Inuyasha."

"I won't. This problem with Naraku is finally over. Let's go home."

They stopped by the village on their way back. Inuyasha explained what happened. He was glad to see that Miroku was free of his curse. And happier to know that he and Sango were going to be married. Sesshomaru officially turned over care of Rin to Kaede and Kohaku decided to stay with his sister so they could rebuild their village. Shippo wanted to stay with the others.

So Inuyasha and Sesshomaru returned to the castle. There was a celebration held by some of the servants celebrating their conquest and their safe return. But all Inuyasha wanted to do was take his mate to bed and sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

As the next few months passed, Inuyasha gained full control of his demon power. And in doing so, he became a daiyokai. His human blood had completely burned off long before be gained full control. Those cursed nights when he became human were gone. Sesshomaru stated that he was sad to see Inuyasha's fuzzy ears go. But Inuyasha had never felt so strong.

One morning, he woke up and Sesshomaru was like a fire burning in his arms. And his scent. Inuyasha's cock was already hard and Sesshomaru was panting from the heat. Inuyasha moved and Sesshomaru pressed his ass back against him. Inuyasha plunged into him and bit the back of his neck as he fucked him. Sesshomaru was louder than usual because his body was sensitive from the heat. Inuyasha finished with a growl and the tie lasted nearly an hour.

Inuyasha rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. "Kami. That hurt."

Sesshomaru was still panting. "Yes." He hurt, too. It was uncomfortable being stretched by the knot when it only lasted a couple minutes. But having it last so long left him aching. "I'm so hot."

Inuyasha sat up. "Alright. Come on." He gathered Sesshomaru in his arms and went out to the inner garden to the pool he had had installed there. It was tapped to collect the run off from the hot spring he and Sesshomaru shared. By the time it reached the garden pool, it had cooled.

Inuyasha got into the water and Sesshomaru sighed as his skin cooled slightly. "That helps."

"You're in heat." Inuyasha couldn't stop touching his mate. His power was humming and his cock was still hard. He hadn't stayed with Sesshomaru after he had mated him the last time. He had just raped him and left, not liking the way being around Sesshomaru made him feel. Now, he embraced the feeling. All he wanted to do was run his hands over Sesshomaru's skin and bite him. He scraped his teeth over the mating scar and Sesshomaru shivered.

"I've noticed." He gasped as Inuyasha bit him. Then moaned when he pushed into him again. He put his hands on Inuyasha thighs and rolled his hips. With Inuyasha's teeth in his shoulder, he rode him with quick thrusts of his hips. He hissed in pain as the knot swelled in him again. Inuyasha's teeth stayed in him until it released. He slumped in Inuyasha's arms and turned around, pressing his nose to his neck. "As good as the sex feels right now, the knotting hurts. I don't like this."

Inuyasha ran his hands up and down Sesshomaru's legs. "I just want to touch you." He nipped Sesshomaru's ear. "You smell so fucking good."

"Of course I do. I'm in heat and you're my mate."

"How long will you be in heat?" He licked Sesshomaru's neck.

"Depends on how long it takes for you to get me pregnant."

"And?" He pulled Sesshomaru's legs around his hips.

"The heat will end once I conceive." Inuyasha pushed into him again and he wrapped his arms around his neck. "More. Fill me with your seed."

Inuyasha took Sesshomaru back inside and spent the next 15 hours doing just that. "Oh, Kami. I'm exhausted."

Sesshomaru was laying on his belly, fighting to keep his eyes open. "I'm not as hot anymore."

"Yeh. Your scents fading." He turned his head to look at his mate. "Does that mean you're pregnant?"

"Yes." Sesshomaru closed his eyes and felt his chest tighten.

Inuyasha sat up. "Hey. Why the fear?" He ran a hand over Sesshomaru's back and pulled him into his arms.

"I can't lose this one, Inuyasha."

"You won't. I promise. I won't let you."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

"Push." Riko stood between Sesshomaru's legs and watched as the baby's head progressed.

"Make this stop." Sesshomaru strained again. It felt like he was getting nowhere.

"You can do it, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha stood at his side, watching his mate give birth to their first child. "Come on. Push."

"I am pushing!" Sesshomaru tightened his grip on Inuyasha's hand.

"That's it. Almost there."

Sesshomaru gasped as he felt the head pass. "Oh, Kami. No more."

"Almost. Keep pushing." Riko pulled a loop of cord up over the baby's head and watched it turn. "Big push now."

"It has your markings. Keep pushing, Sesshomaru." Inuyasha moved down where he could see well.

"My Lord, would you like to trade places?"

Inuyasha looked at Riko. "You want me to catch the baby?"

"That's up to you. But make up your mind. Do you want to be the first to hold your child?"

"Fuck yes." Inuyasha took Riko's place. He smiled up at Sesshomaru. "Come on. I'm right here. Push."

Sesshomaru strained again. "Don't you drop him."

"Shut up." Inuyasha laughed softly at the joke. A week earlier Sesshomaru had been teaching him to do diapers using a melon and he had dropped it, making a mess on the dining room floor. "Push."

"I am pushing!" He bared down harder and gasped as his baby left his body. It started screaming and his chest warmed at the sound. He turned his head to the side and watched Inuyasha. He was wrapping the baby in a towel. "Let me see it."

Inuyasha held the baby up. "It's a boy."

Sesshomaru couldn't help smiling at the grin on his mates face. "Are you sure?"

Inuyasha chuckled. "I think I know what a penis looks like." He pulled open the towel so Sesshomaru could see for himself.

Sesshomaru held his arms out. "Give him to me."

Riko put a hand on Sesshomaru's trembling thigh. "You must wait, my Lord. Until you pass the afterbirth. You don't want to pull the cord."

Sesshomaru's hands trembled. Inuyasha moved the baby to where he could touch it. "A boy, Sesshomaru. He looks just like you."

Fingers touching the baby's wet head, Sesshomaru felt something in him relax. For the entire pregnancy he had been terrified that he would lose the baby. He had horrific nightmares and woke up screaming almost every night for two months. But Inuyasha was there and he quickly calmed him. He hadn't left Inuyasha's side for two months. The one time he had tried being alone, he had had a panic attack. So Inuyasha let him follow him around. "I want to hold my baby."

"Just a few minutes, my Lord." Sesshomaru groaned, pushed, and the afterbirth slid out. Riko tied it off and cut the cord. "Okay. You can give him the baby now, Lord Inuyasha."

Inuyasha carried the baby to Sesshomaru's side and placed him on his chest. "He needs a bath. But he's beautiful."

Sesshomaru couldn't stop staring. Inuyasha was right, the baby looked just like him. He had all of his facial markings. He shifted the baby to his breast and it stopped crying and latched on. Sesshomaru closed his eyes and felt the rest of himself completely relax. "I had a baby."

Inuyasha grinned. "Yeh. You had a baby."

Inuyasha helped Riko clean Sesshomaru and bathe the baby. Then he carried him to bed. While Sesshomaru fell into an exhausted sleep, Inuyasha laid beside him and watched the baby. It alternated between sleeping and nursing. He changed its diaper twice. He dressed him in the tiny kimono that Sesshomaru had set aside for his first clothes. He could have laid there for days watching the tiny little thing.

Sesshomaru woke for the first time in months without having had a nightmare. He turned his head to find Inuyasha lying beside him, staring at the baby. Sesshomaru look down at it and smiled. "You dressed him."

"Yes." Inuyasha was curling a tuft of soft white hair around his finger. "He's so small."

"He's perfect." Sesshomaru lifted his hands and feet and counted toes and fingers. "Have you chosen a name yet?"

"No. I thought I'd let you name him."

Sesshomaru frowned at his mate. "That's your job. And I haven't thought of any. Because it's your job."

Inuyasha touched the baby's cheek and smiled when its mouth twitched towards his finger. "I know. I already named our first born, Sesshomaru. And you're such a liar. I know you've already thought of names you like."

"Akihiko."

"See. Was that so hard?" He kissed the baby's forehead. "Akihiko. I like it."

Sesshomaru smiled. "Thank you."

Inuyasha shrugged and sat up. "He's your baby." He stretched until his back popped. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine. Almost healed." The baby started to nurse again and he touched its cheek softly, watching its mouth move.

"I have work I need to do. Court today. Will you be alright alone?"

Sesshomaru smiled again, still watching the baby. "I'm not alone."

"You know what I meant, Sesshomaru."

"We'll be fine. Go be Lord."

Inuyasha watched them a moment more. He hated to leave them, but he was the Lord and he had duties to attend. He had already shirked his duties the day before because Sesshomaru was showing signs of going into labor. He met Riko in the hall on his way out, he was carrying a bowl of stew. "That for Sesshomaru?"

"Yes, my Lord. Stew made from the afterbirth. It will make his milk rich and help him healer faster, though I doubt he needs much help with that. Has he woken?"

"Yeh, a little while ago. He's watching the baby nurse now. I have court starting soon."

"Which is why I was coming now. Your steward is waiting to call court to session." Riko moved past Inuyasha and into the bedroom. "You go on, my Lord. Sesshomaru is in good hands."

"Mmm." Inuyasha watched his family a moment longer. Sesshomaru had never looked so beautiful. He finally turned away, and went to do the job his father had passed on to him, the life he had accepted as his. Being Lord of the Western Lands.


End file.
